tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51929114836819886822024-03-14T05:15:00.844-07:00Middle Grade MindedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger604125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-13388271413012669742023-10-30T03:09:00.001-07:002023-10-30T03:09:00.141-07:00Interview with Katie Kennedy, Author of THE PRESIDENTS DECODED<p> We haven't done non-fiction lately, so thought Katie Kennedy's new book, THE PRESIDENT'S DECODED would be a great book to read and talk about! I enjoyed the book and immensely and think you and the kids in your life will, too!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayvAnXEqk2FjHnmVl609eFElbMvvmlfE5LKiZ4RCVupvyrGnVoPSKvme8G_d3GUx3bibHAjZhiE3-g1gcWFWESQrA-BcpP6jgM4KNIyAO25qkXcG1y_xNnN2pNfH1WKwKPQGhPRhpqn7TNN5oRavmt5RWB0vodznwd5AlnMYlCO4KawX0bKjtdBcy9mHK/s1500/pres2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1205" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayvAnXEqk2FjHnmVl609eFElbMvvmlfE5LKiZ4RCVupvyrGnVoPSKvme8G_d3GUx3bibHAjZhiE3-g1gcWFWESQrA-BcpP6jgM4KNIyAO25qkXcG1y_xNnN2pNfH1WKwKPQGhPRhpqn7TNN5oRavmt5RWB0vodznwd5AlnMYlCO4KawX0bKjtdBcy9mHK/w321-h400/pres2.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">About the book:</h2><p><br /></p><p><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700 !important;">Ever wonder what the President does? Meet the 45* people who have held the job in this important book that showcases how they each led the country in their time—and features their own thoughts and words through their documents, letters, diaries, speeches and so much more.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Some call it the most important job in the world. It's certainly the most powerful. And it's one that every citizen needs to know about because we're the ones who vote to put a president in office. Lively, informative, filled with firsts and facts, big ideas and compelling anecdotes, </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">The Presidents Decoded</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, is a richly layered guide to the leaders who have shaped our nation.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Featuring over 125 primary sources--including documents, speeches, letters, executive orders and diaries--each leader's time in office is broken down and explained to show the what, how and why of our leaders' thoughts, decisions and policies. Familiar documents like the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, The Emancipation Proclamation, and The Fugitive Slave Act — the part of the Compromise of 1850 that set the country on a path to Civil War — are included. But there's also George Washington’s letter to Martha as he learns that he’s been chosen to be the General of the Continental Army, a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt from a desperate family during the Great Depression, a letter from baseball legend Jackie Robinson urging John F. Kennedy to do more for civil rights, and the Executive Order limiting the hours of the federal work day, and so many more. Full-color illustrations bring each president and their time in office to life on the page in their career-defining moments as history marches forward and changes the job — and our way of life — through inventions like the camera, the telephone, the first metal detector, services like the Navy and the Red Cross, and the rise of social media platforms like Twitter.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />As she did in </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">The Constitution Decoded</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, Katie Kennedy shines a light on American History, this time through the lens of the leaders who shaped our nation.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />(*Very clever of you to catch this! the number is off by 1 because Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and the 24th president!)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></p><p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Interview:</span></h2><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->First of all, congratulations on writing such an interesting book! How long did it take you to do the research before you even started writing?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Thanks! Research took years, if you count the time I spent in college and teaching and reading—I already had a pretty good background when the publisher suggested this project. But specifically, it took about four months, I think. I was reading the Congressional Record at 2:00 a.m.! I had a great time writing this book, and the editor is fun, so we had some entertaining email threads. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What gave you the idea to include excerpts from historical documents and then decode them for your readers? </p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><span> <span> </span></span>I thought that was the great thing about the first book we did, <i>The Constitution Decoded</i>—it gives readers the tools to decipher the document. I wanted this book to be like that—to give kids primary sources that they could evaluate themselves. And going to the primary sources is an important concept. How do we know what we know? In an age of disinformation, that’s a vital part of education. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The media would like us to think that things have only gotten wonky in Washington lately, but it’s clear from the beginning that there has always been in-fighting and significant disagreements between and within parties. How important was it for you to show that? </p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><span> <span> </span></span>I wasn’t trying to make political points, so in that sense, it wasn’t at all. But I was trying to tell the whole story as best we could in the space available, and you’re right, that absolutely includes political in-fighting and sniping. I mean, John Tyler got kicked out of his own party, and Andrew Jackson’s campaign accused John Quincy Adams of wearing silk underpants! That’s low. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I love how well you placed each president within the historical context of their times. I was shocked to learn about some of Woodrow Wilson’s beliefs, but impressed to learn he was willing to step down immediately if he lost the election if it was better for the country to do so. How did you decide what was the most important things to include for each president? </p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><span> <span> </span></span>Oh, it was so hard! Because of course I wanted to include the significant issues—to give readers who are encountering, say, Benjamin Harrison for the first time, some idea of who he was and what he did. So I had to provide a general overview and also highlight what was most significant in each president’s administration. But at the same time, I wanted to go beyond the usual documents and show something a little different, or go a little deeper. An example of that would be the letter in which then-Vice President John Adams referred to himself as “Daddy Vice.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->After all your research, did you find yourself with a preference for any specific president over all others? </p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><span> <span> </span></span>Like virtually all historians, I rank Abraham Lincoln as our best president, but I think Ulysses S. Grant is greatly underrated. Eisenhower is, too, although not as much. James Buchanan is usually ranked very low, but that’s probably still too high. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">No matter how each performed as president, though, they were wrenchingly human. I think of Calvin Coolidge’s helplessness as he watched his son die because of a blister he got playing tennis. Or James Monroe’s courage in combat during the American Revolution, when he was shot and seriously wounded. Theodore Roosevelt’s agony when his wife and mother died the same day. Or John F. Kennedy towing an injured comrade</span><span style="color: #c00000;"> </span><span style="color: #0070c0;">three</span><span style="color: #c00000;"> </span><span style="color: #0070c0;">miles through the Pacific Ocean during WWII, the man’s lifejacket strap clamped in his teeth. Whatever you think of them as presidents, they were also people with remarkable stories. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Finally, your book ends with a poignant reminder that the future of the United States lies in the hands of its current and future voters. How do you hope teachers and students use this book to make themselves ready to pick up the democratic torch when their time comes to vote?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">I hope that readers think about the gravity of the decision we make in the voting booth. No president gets to choose the challenges they face. So every president—and by extension, every presidential candidate—has to be a mature person with the experience, qualifications, and judgment that allow them to shepherd the country safely for four years. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">And I hope readers think about how president after president passed off the office to their successor, even after bitterly contested campaigns. The peaceful transfer of power is not only one of the things that makes America great, it’s one of the things that makes Americans safe. Political stability and governmental competence allow the economy and arts to flourish. If that ever collapses, the loss will be staggering.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0070c0; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You’ve decoded the Constitution and the presidents. Anything else you’re dying to decode? </p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><span> <span> </span></span>Yes! We’re just starting a book on voting that will be a good companion to THE CONSTITUTION DECODED and THE PRESIDENTS DECODED. I hope when young readers see how hard people have struggled for the right to vote, they’ll look forward to their chance to participate in, and protect, our democracy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Thank you, Katie!<o:p></o:p></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Thank you!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><br /></span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Want to learn more about Katie Kennedy and her books? Click <a href="https://katiekennedybooks.com" target="_blank">here</a>! </span></h1>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-58424503427091172692023-09-18T01:30:00.001-07:002023-09-18T01:30:00.142-07:00Interview with Elisa Stone Leahy, Author of Tethered to Other Stars<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tethered to Other Stars</span></h2><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was such a privilege to read this wonderful book and I think you will find Elisa's answers inspiring and revelatory.</span></div><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ0LuepUIkXSJnnflYVJV1mCu_hxRZol_uULC6k0L-MBuILMLpQtx3DM48Hd4uUfmeyJ55-LD38qLoiAkQbP4Sh3CnYL_6hThFXVaKVPnnOOVYq4eIfmtjOtJ8N8jxHa-_Y7noyX0JuggXt5lHieDzC_rW_Cqh8TUM0gCTsrP5dtsulSZiyvXaIO3L6EA/s320/tethered.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="212" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ0LuepUIkXSJnnflYVJV1mCu_hxRZol_uULC6k0L-MBuILMLpQtx3DM48Hd4uUfmeyJ55-LD38qLoiAkQbP4Sh3CnYL_6hThFXVaKVPnnOOVYq4eIfmtjOtJ8N8jxHa-_Y7noyX0JuggXt5lHieDzC_rW_Cqh8TUM0gCTsrP5dtsulSZiyvXaIO3L6EA/w424-h640/tethered.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">About the Book:</span></b></h3><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><b><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Perfect for fans of </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">Efrén Divided</span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> and </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">A Good Kind of Trouble</span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box;">, this luminous middle grade debut follows a tween girl navigating the devastating impact of ICE’s looming presence on her family and community.</span></b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Seventh grader Wendy Toledo knows that black holes and immigration police have one thing in common: they can both make things disappear without a trace. When her family moves to a new all-American neighborhood, Wendy knows the plan: keep her head down, build a telescope that will win the science fair, and stay on her family’s safe orbit.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">But that’s easier said than done when there’s a woman hiding out from ICE agents in the church across the alley—and making Wendy’s parents very nervous.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">As bullying at school threatens Wendy’s friendships and her hopes for the science fair, and her family’s secrets start to unravel, Wendy finds herself caught in the middle of far too many gravitational pulls. When someone she loves is detained by ICE, Wendy must find the courage to set her own orbit—and maybe shift the paths of everyone around her.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First of all: What an amazing book! I loved it and all the characters so much! And I learned so much! So many questions:</span></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </b></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">The Interview</b></h3><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b><p></p><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Can you share what made you write about the refugee crisis in the United States (which, really, is happening all around the world?)</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a Peruvian-American living in the Midwest, I’ve gotten to know many refugees and been involved in immigration activism. I am also a documentary filmmaker but I found that the most vulnerable people cannot share their stories on screen. I cannot put people on camera to share what they’ve been through when the perpetrators are still out there, searching for them. I have friends who ran from gangs in El Salvador, who left abusive relationships in Mexico, or who have been mistreated by ICE agents here in the US. Those stories are not safe for my friends to share in a documentary film, but I can write it into fiction. Children’s literature has an immense capacity to take distant experiences and draw them closer. Many in this country, adults and kids alike, have a very distant concept of what the immigrant experience is like. I hope that by telling some of these stories through fiction for middle grade, readers may draw a bit closer to comprehending that reality.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The main character Wendy (nice name choice by the way!) is a budding scientist whose family has just moved again after raids in their previous community. She and her brother suspect that one of their parents might not have the proper documentation to allow them to stay in the country, but in many ways, are too afraid to ask. There’s a tremendous amount of love and tension in the family – how difficult was that to write?</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tension is always difficult to write, but particularly in middle grade. Middle schoolers are often navigating that transition between the safety of their home and their place in the unknown world outside those walls. As kids expand their understanding of the world beyond the scope of their own family, their values and beliefs begin to take on a new shape. Writing to that age where identity is still forming means questioning family members but not completely throwing off that safety net. Wendy has to see her parents as fallible, yet still trust them. She has to question their choices, but know that they love her wholeheartedly. I gave some of that questioning to her older brother, who is developmentally further along in creating his own identity. But Wendy, like other kids her age, has to find her own path.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><ol start="3" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>One of the difficulties of trying to blend in is that it makes it almost impossible to make waves when you see things that aren’t right. Wendy has some friends at school who are much more forthright when they see racist and other bad behaviours. You did a wonderful job of showcasing the subtle and not-so-subtle ways bigotry manifests itself. How important was it to show kids how insidious that kind of behaviour can be.</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we only hear about the most egregious examples of discrimination, it is easy to think we would speak out. Standing up to racism seems obvious. But most bigotry is subtle and responding to that can be hard. I wanted kids to see examples that are complicated and show how even things that seem small can be damaging. Most kids have a strong sense of justice but taking a stand is not easy. For people who are being targeted, standing up can even make things worse. It was important to me to point out that vulnerable people may have valid reasons to not be at the forefront of the fight, and to show how others can be advocates for justice.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><ol start="4" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>I love the parallel story of Luz, who has sought sanctuary in a local church so she can’t be deported. I find the idea of sanctuary so moving, since really, isn’t that what we all search for in life? This plotline was a wonderful way to politicize Wendy’s brother, Tom. How much research did you have to do around similar cases?</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Much of my research came through lived experience in immigration activism. My friend Edith Espinal lived in sanctuary for over 3 years in a church to avoid a deportation order. She took her fight to the news, to the presidential candidates and to the front page of the New York Times. I was part of her team when we traveled to DC to lobby for her and others in sanctuary. We led letter-writing campaigns and petition signings. Edith became the face of the sanctuary movement. My partner and I produced a documentary, </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Shelter for Edith</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, about her story and my book is dedicated to her. But even with all my experience, I did plenty of research. Immigration law is messy and no refugee experience is the same. My book is set in Columbus, Ohio in 2018, during the year that Edith was living in sanctuary. Sanctuary is a concept that I have never seen in contemporary fiction, so it was critically important that I present an authentic experience that fit that time and place.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><ol start="5" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Wendy standing up for herself actually helps her parents realize the cost of staying hidden. But there are consequences to speaking up. Did you know from the beginning how the book was going to end or did some things change in the writing?</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I began writing this book, my friend Edith was still living in sanctuary. I wrote all the hope I had for her into Luz’s story. I wrote my passion for justice into Etta’s headstrong, big-hearted zeal. I wrote the grief I felt for another friend whose husband was taken by ICE into the hurt Tom’s family felt. I knew from the beginning that I wanted Wendy and her family to be okay and together at the end. But I also knew that there is no easy resolution to the complexities of immigration law. The book opens with Wendy’s family moving into a house that feels unstable and unsafe, mimicking the societal structures that often feel threatening to refugees. The book ends with Wendy’s family together, healing and in a home that is now safe and welcoming. But you’ll notice that the legal questions are not fully resolved and Luz is still living in sanctuary. There is hope, and a path forward, but nothing is certain. True change can only happen with policy change and democratic action. My friend Edith is now living in her own home, thanks to a democratic vote that changed the administration. In the book, Luz’s story is open-ended as a reminder that our actions decide the future.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><ol start="6" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Secrets are wreaking havoc in Wendy’s family. Wendy’s parents come from places where the only way to survive is to risk the long and dangerous journey to another country, one where they know they may not be welcomed. Was it hard to write how that trauma impacted them and then ultimately their children?</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have dual citizenship, so I have never had to grapple with the realities of immigration for myself. But this book is shaped by the experiences of many, many friends. Telling this story is nothing compared to what they have lived through. I have listened to an ICE officer mock and belittle my friend for misunderstanding the English instructions he was given at his check-in. I have called a friend from the ICE office to tell her that her husband was just taken into custody by an ICE officer who referred to distraught immigrants being deported as “crybabies.” I’ve had parents ask me to help them find paperwork to sign custody of their 5-year-old over to relatives in the event that both of them were deported. And I’ve sat for hours with friends, documenting the darkest moments of their lives for their refugee claims, both of us in tears. Was this hard to write? Yes. But weaving their pieces of truth into this work of fiction was the best way I knew to tell their stories. </span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><ol start="7" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>I so hope every school and library gets a copy of this book, because the refugee situation is only going to get worse as the climate crisis intensifies. What do you hope your readers take away from this story?</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ICE has done a remarkable job of creating a culture of fear that terrifies families. For kids growing up with that reality, there is often no room to acknowledge that fear and its damaging effects. I wanted to give those kids a place to see themselves and I wanted other kids to get a sense of that suffocating fear. As a child, I vividly remember reading books about WWII and what it was like for the Jewish people living in that environment. Those stories made me a more empathetic person and shaped my view of justice and systems of power. Our kids need to hear these stories.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><ol start="8" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Finally – What’s next?</b></span></p></li></ol><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you loved Wendy and her friends, then I have some great news! The second book, which follows one of Wendy’s new friends from school, comes out next Fall. The title reveal and description are coming soon! It takes place just a few weeks after</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Tethered to Other Stars</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I can’t give too much away, but there will be comics, secrets, a drag queen storytime, a sweet crush and library shenanigans. Also a glitter cat. Stay tuned for more! And if you’d like to take a personality quiz to see which of my characters you are most like, check out my website!</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p><p>Want to know more about Elisa? Click <a href="https://www.elisastoneleahy.com" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p>Also, between now and October 2nd, you can enter a goodreads contest to win your own copy! Click <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60237630-tethered-to-other-stars" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p>THANK YOU ELISA!!!</p><p><br /></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-64995993292395408842023-08-15T04:31:00.002-07:002023-08-15T04:31:18.236-07:00Interview with Christy Cashman, Author of The Truth About Horses<p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApPX-D-oaboo5s74lREgghQQRNMvQiDp631VGRK_TQ6D8M84jYoDOWLVKFJYka1TZGtU44463wsksgVEuUXUnnfcYLaWN91VdqtrOQCGDonXzmVshCBNyuMohClPC8UgVo7buLHCQYfNz_gTxIGzrRObQu9vTyP6coDX7sfSbFCYJ2a8ZgYu7QDpt1wK8/s2550/truthabouthorses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApPX-D-oaboo5s74lREgghQQRNMvQiDp631VGRK_TQ6D8M84jYoDOWLVKFJYka1TZGtU44463wsksgVEuUXUnnfcYLaWN91VdqtrOQCGDonXzmVshCBNyuMohClPC8UgVo7buLHCQYfNz_gTxIGzrRObQu9vTyP6coDX7sfSbFCYJ2a8ZgYu7QDpt1wK8/w259-h400/truthabouthorses.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">About the Book:</span></h2><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Fourteen-year-old Reese’s dream of winning the Black Elk race is shattered when her beloved horse, Trusted Treasure, falls at the last jump and the vet suggests they put him down. While still reeling from that loss, her family suffers a second tragedy—one that results in the end of their family business, the sale of Trusted Treasure, and irreparable damage to Reese’s relationship with her father.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Heartbroken and still longing to find Trusted Treasure, Reese meets Wes, a selective mute, whose way of training horses is unlike anything she’s ever seen. If anyone can win the Black Elk, it’s Wes—but he’s struggling with his troubled past, and having a teenage girl hanging around his barn isn’t exactly what he’d planned. Through heartaches and triumphs, Reese must prove her worth if she wants to heal her family, help Wes, and show them all that some dreams are worth fighting for.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A spellbinding tale in which every teenager has magical powers within them just waiting to be discovered, this book will have you laughing and crying—sometimes on the same page—all the while rooting for Reese, the most unlikely of heroes.</span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Interview</span></span></h3><p style="background: ; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>Hi Christy! First of all, congratulations on writing such a heartfelt and riveting story! You had me hook, line, and sinker from the first page. Where did the idea come from? </b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">Thank you so much! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">Trying to figure out exactly where the idea came from is not easy. I think it was a series of ideas. I didn’t even necessarily set out to write a novel. I’m sure I would have balked at that suggestion. I actually thought I was going to write a treatment for a film but once I started the writing process, the voice of the protagonist, Reese, was much more suited for a novel, and I went with it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">I had been to Cavalia and was very moved by the way horses were so artfully celebrated. It’s like each performance was a moving painting of these exquisite creatures and that brought me back to my childhood when simply being in the presence of a horse felt like a spiritual experience. I remember looking at their big eyes, their shiny coats, their flowing manes and tails and feeling a sort of magical energy. I also remember always having a sense of longing as a child. And a lot of that longing was about wanting to be with my horse and take care of him. I think longing is in everyone and as children, it goes hand in hand with learning. If you think about it, what we long for and how we go about attaining or not attaining it tends to be our invitation in life to learn who we are. Having a horse as a child was the world in which I experienced so many successes and failures and that time in my life was so fraught with emotions that writing about Reese and how she longed for her horse Treasure was like finding a trove of possibilities. Sometimes it felt like the story was always there and I just uncovered it and other times it felt like I was totally trying to make my way in the dark.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>The story begins with an unthinkable tragedy that sets in motion a lot of terrible things that make our heroine Reese miserable. While I was shocked and sad, I loved the randomness of the event, that it catches the reader totally by surprise, which is what it’s like in real life. How hard was that first chapter to write? </b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">The first chapter wasn’t always the first chapter. At one point in the process, it was chapter eight! Moving chapters around is a little like moving furniture around in a room. When it goes in the right place, it suddenly feels right, and you know it instantly. When I wrote that chapter, I tried to put myself in the car and when I was about twelve, I was in a car accident where our car hit a patch of ice and we fishtailed off the road into a ditch. I remember sitting in the backseat and seeing all of this weird detail and noticing even in the moment that I was noticing it—it was weird that I was noticing! It was crazy how everything slowed down. We were lucky we were all OK other than my Mom broke some ribs and my brother’s face hit the windshield (and he picked pieces of glass out of his face for a year) but I guess it was pretty traumatic because that’s the memory I mined from to write that scene.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>Reese’s relationship with her father (or lack thereof) is at the heart of the story. At times I just wanted to yell at him, I was so furious. And yet, his behavior isn’t all that uncommon, unfortunately. Why do you think it’s so important for kids to read about parents who mess up? </b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">Yes, her Dad is very frustrating and I enjoyed writing his character because as adults we tend to think we’re dealing with things when all we’re really doing is avoiding them at all costs. Which I know all about from experience! We grow up with the idea that our parents should know everything when really, they are often just injured children themselves who are afraid to feel. I think accepting that is crucial to growing. And allowing ourselves to be vulnerable about our feelings with our children can feel like we’re admitting we don’t know what we’re doing but it’s probably the only thing that truly connects us.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>The other heart of the story focuses on Reese’s desire to find her beloved horse, Trusted Treasure (sold after the family tragedy) and find a way to keep her mother’s horse barn going. I have to say: you make owning a horse and the barn life VERY appealing. As a reader, I learned so much, not just about the care and keeping of horses, but how horses are bought and sold. Was it a challenge to write about an area you know so much about in an accessible way? </b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: ; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">I chose the world of horses because I knew I could write about it in a believable way. A writing instructor told me that we all have these experiences in our lives that we are well-versed enough to be able to create around. So, if you choose a world that you know and are able to describe it using all of your senses, then your story will be grounded and your reader will automatically trust you so that when you weave in the other elements of the story, they can’t decipher what’s made up from what’s not. I heard a musician describing jazz to me. He said that jazz is taking a melody and going off on tangents around it and then making your way back to the melody in an unexpected way. In a way, writing a novel is a little like that in that the “grounded world” is the melody and as long as you keep returning to it, you can weave through all of the other elements you want.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: ; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>Another character central to the story is Wes, who has his own complicated reasons for taking over the horse barn. Through her relationship with Wes, Reese literally finds a voice and a bit of autonomy in a life that is fast unravelling. Wes’ motives are mysterious throughout a lot of the book; how easy was it to tease out his role in the story? </b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: ; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">I definitely knew that he brought a mysterious quality simply by being a selective mute. I found that Reese’s interpretation of what she thought he was thinking was a fun way to know Wes. But half the time she was only guessing and so it really turned out being a way to get to know her better. I had to work hard to find other ways of understanding Wes. Mainly, I felt like the path to understanding Wes was how he was around his horses. As I was writing his character, I noticed that sometimes I talk because I’m nervous and just filling an uncomfortable space. Because, when someone is silent, the more I hear myself talk, truly “hear myself” I can at times sound pretty ridiculous. I wanted to get that feeling across with Wes when Reese was complaining about Lexi.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>There is a wonderful magical realism subplot that involves a group of wild horses. We meet them early in the story, and they show up at very important moments in the story. I love that aspect of the story – it really challenges the reader to decide for themselves what is real or not. </b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">I have always felt like the best stories are the ones that are highly interpretive. I knew I wanted an element that couldn’t be explained away. </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: ; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>There is plenty of swearing in this book – Reese is fourteen and going through A LOT – and some really intense moments in the story when Reese loses it and I wondered if there was any push back from your editor? Personally, given the circumstances, I thought the choices you made were right on. </b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">Believe it or not, there wasn’t any pushback. And believe it or not, I don’t like swearing. But I feel like Reese’s swearing wasn’t gratuitous in the story. She was so angry and she wanted her Dad to feel what she felt. She wanted to make him angry and she tried everything she could to get him to see her even if it was by doing exactly what she knew would rile him up the most! As much as I had to do a bit of soul searching and ask myself if that was the best way to show her anger, I kept landing on yes. In this story, swearing was purposeful and part of my character’s development.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>What’s next? You are sure to have a LOT of fans after this story!</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">I’m so excited to be working on my second novel BEULAH! It’s set in the Great Smoky mountains in Tennessee in the late ‘80s. In the midst of feeling pushed out of her own hometown, Zadie, the 15-year-old protagonist learns that a girl from her school has gone missing. The town is gripped in fear, friends turn on each other and already feeling like an outsider, Zadie finds herself wondering who her friends and her family really are.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><br /></span></p><p style="background:; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><b>Thanks Christy! </b></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">Want to learn more about Christy? click <a href="https://www.christycashman.com" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;">Want to pre-order the book, which comes out August 15th? Scan the barcode below:</span></p><p style="background: font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: ; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9ihF1A7GR25sVarRXscw-Y4ZqwJ8pmcUB5_uA5fuQ32p9DYquuh52c92KS4qSNU9clGu5TKTFgCwKUIvst_tQVLfUahYhzddFLAuPuS2VzMwhbfnWMLHO12z8swMXwLnsUBXlCBehOLepJzBU49yEpSGQWQ2UHjGnovyVpmvN1SHDr_ZV5M160TqxI2U/s1023/TruthPresaleQRCode.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1023" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9ihF1A7GR25sVarRXscw-Y4ZqwJ8pmcUB5_uA5fuQ32p9DYquuh52c92KS4qSNU9clGu5TKTFgCwKUIvst_tQVLfUahYhzddFLAuPuS2VzMwhbfnWMLHO12z8swMXwLnsUBXlCBehOLepJzBU49yEpSGQWQ2UHjGnovyVpmvN1SHDr_ZV5M160TqxI2U/s320/TruthPresaleQRCode.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: ArialMT, serif;"><br /></span><p></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-494544535416098932023-07-06T08:25:00.001-07:002023-07-06T08:25:00.159-07:00Interview: Sally J. Pla, Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA">So excited to be interviewing one of my favourite authors, Sally J. Pla!</span></h1><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">She's the author of The Someday Birds, Stanley Will Probably Be Fine, and Benji, The Bad Day, and Me, and No World Too Big.</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">And she's back with a fabulous new middle grade novel: The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn.</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">I got to read an advanced reader's copy and I can tell you this: IT IS GOOD!</p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM8YDQ4VZ_cE6hHQrYDn1E6xm4xdJiv7rbRkn7y_1znnqgZKid6_lYQbArgg4q7-WFobEjpjvCIlsQrH7kyoXS5n2loUrufuQ2SFuvo5j1pIFW925xuC_z88ft-6cU4NddN95bNK1QMxGylsK5UCFa-cwzxjvOX_O3aIcLO5Vqc3YHPWfJ25u9kffHw/s600/FireWaterMaudie.finalcoverM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="397" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM8YDQ4VZ_cE6hHQrYDn1E6xm4xdJiv7rbRkn7y_1znnqgZKid6_lYQbArgg4q7-WFobEjpjvCIlsQrH7kyoXS5n2loUrufuQ2SFuvo5j1pIFW925xuC_z88ft-6cU4NddN95bNK1QMxGylsK5UCFa-cwzxjvOX_O3aIcLO5Vqc3YHPWfJ25u9kffHw/w265-h400/FireWaterMaudie.finalcoverM.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span><p></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA">What it's About</span></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel by the award-winning author of </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: 700 !important;">The Someday Birds </span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life—one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, but she’s scared.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It’s another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough?</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends—and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth—and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad—before summer is over?</span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-CA">The Interview</span></h2><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA">First of all, I adored this book so much! I’m a huge fan of Maudie and her dad especially, but every character in this book is three dimensional and unique. Can you tell us about the inspiration for the book?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">Thank you so much, Wendy! Thank you for reading, and thank you for having me on! How an inspiration turns into a story is such a fascinating process, isn’t it? For me, usually, I start a story when I hear the voice of a new and different character in my head. But this time, it started with a setting. I live near the beach in Southern California, not far from a state campground, where many RVs and tents and trailers are parked. Walking through the campground on my many beach walks, looking at the different state license plates, hearing kids play, laugh, and cry, hearing families chatting, etc., I started imagining “what if” stories, set in this world. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA">I love that! Maudie goes through a lot of traumatic experiences in this book, but eventually finds her way. How hard was it to write some of those scenes?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">From the safety of her summer with dad, Maudie flashes back to her life back home with her mom and new stepdad. She does NOT want to return, come August, but has been warned not to ever speak of the situation. So, all summer, she tries to figure out how to stay safely with her dad -- who’s wonderful, but in a life-crisis of his own.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">Maudie’s flashback scenes of physical/emotional abuse were not hard to write. They are an everyday reality for far too many young people. They were a reality in my life, at the hands of different abusive people, when I was growing up. Certain things that happened to Maudie, also happened to me, and far worse. Mainly, my challenge, and my process, was this: Write a scene once, and let out all the feelings, just for me. Then delete it all. But while the emotions still simmered, start over in a calmer, softer way, writing to be mindful and respectful to middle-grade sensibilities. Edit, edit, edit, with young readers carefully in mind. </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA"> I love this process. It must have been both cathartic and draining all at once. Maudie's relationship with her mother is complex and troubling, but feels very real. Was it hard to write that relationship so it wasn’t completely black and white?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">Such a great question. I wanted it to be clear that Maudie’s mom truly loves her. No villain worth their salt is all 100% evil. She was a teen mom, young and ignorant and with harsh parents who disowned her. To get herself and Maudie out of poverty, Maudie’s mom married someone who truly loves her and provides for their every need -- but who’s now suddenly doing daily damage to her child’s wellbeing. And she’s stuck. She can’t admit it’s happening. It would mean watching her world crumble again, maybe even going back to poverty. Plus, Maudie IS a handful sometimes, right? She’s become a bit delusional, she’s trapped herself.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"> </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraph" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA">So true, the best villains have to believe they're doing the right thing. Maudie’s father faces financial hardships in the story, but he’s surrounded himself with good people that are there for him and for Maudie. How important was it for you to portray not only the issue of financial hardship, but to talk about the different kinds of families we can have in our lives?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">“Found family” in the campground is a big part of the story, and one of its most joyous aspects. I didn’t want to downplay how grindingly hard it is when there’s financial hardship. But I did want to point out that community, and family, whatever that family looks like, is what gets us through.<i> </i>All the money in the world, alone, won’t do that. If there are no loved ones to raise us right, no family, no community, to support us and help us and guide us and provide all that emotional resilience, that give-and-take along the way, then we’ll be lost. </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA">Surfing plays a huge part in this story and it is so wonderful that Maudie’s journey towards her truth starts by facing other fears. We all need mentors and she certainly finds one in Etta. Enquiring minds want to know: are you a surfer?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">When I was in my early twenties, yeah, I went out a bit, but I was never good enough to feel like I could legit call myself a surfer. My husband and I were big into windsurfing for a while, but it’s been literally decades. Now I just float around on the water. Still, I think surfing is the most beautiful, natural sport there is. You must fall in love with the ocean, read the waves, know the waves... The whole sport just swims in apt metaphors for surviving, for living! It is the perfect sport for Maudie, for helping her physically and mentally find her courage, strength, resilience, balance. </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA">What I love about this book is that the fact that Maudie is neurodivergent is portrayed as both a difficulty for her but also a kind of super power. Letting us into Maudie’s head allows the reader to really experience both her challenges and strengths. So many kids are going to be thrilled to see themselves on the page. As someone who is neurodivergent yourself, was that easier or harder to achieve?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">Way easier to achieve – Maudie’s head is my head, in many ways! And when it comes to difficulties that are also superpowers, I am so glad that came through. No weakness without strength, no crisis without opportunity, no high tide without low tide, no yin without yang, no fire without water – and autism is also a condition of complementary contrasts. Some autism professionals divide us into “high functioning” or “low-functioning” groups, not understanding that we are ALL both high and low functioning, depending on the day, the moment , or the challenge at hand. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">Thank you for seeing and embracing this in Maudie. I hope readers will too -- and be encouraged at how much every autistic person (indeed, just plain every <i>person</i>) can change and strengthen and grow.</span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-CA">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA">Finally: please tell us more Sally J. Pla books are in the works!!!!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;">There are! This winter, I have a short, funny chapter book for younger readers out with HarperCollins UK’s Big Cat series – it’s about two unlikely neurodivergent friends, and it’s called <i>Ada and Zaz</i>. My picture book, <i>Benji, The Bad Day, and Me,</i> should be coming out in Spanish soon. You can look for a little novel with QuillTree/HarperCollins, <i>Invisible Isabel</i>, within a year or two – another autistic main character, and I hope you love her -- and I’m currently working on the novel after that: a love story set in the upper Midwest, where I lived for a long while. I won’t say any more!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA">Thanks Sally!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA">Want to learn more about Sally J. Pla and her books? Visit <a href="https://sallyjpla.com" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 18, 77); color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2f5597;"><br /></span></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-4205516058474338032023-06-09T02:57:00.002-07:002023-06-09T05:38:40.342-07:00Author Interview: Jarrett Lerner, Author of A WORK IN PROGRESS<p><br /></p><p>Guys, I recently had the chance to read Jarrett Lerner's new book and ask questions, and no surprise: neither he nor his new book disappoint - They are wonderful!</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouHP1e2SNfLvIt5DhxdQ4A3ViPbuAuCMPfCxdWPeTtWzwOrp0nnK1DXkbdWo6UGZds-PKGEaH1_VadPLN9Hjvyo33oJEq_1GBF9mDU6gEk5aOXm0fALwzMlvmJkbgBfgzVZSOh3T8BDnLWCnoInOf8TTV6GpAmO4GhfJhEWCOLU6dBZWZ7aTQTFS0Pw/s2114/workinprogress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2114" data-original-width="1399" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouHP1e2SNfLvIt5DhxdQ4A3ViPbuAuCMPfCxdWPeTtWzwOrp0nnK1DXkbdWo6UGZds-PKGEaH1_VadPLN9Hjvyo33oJEq_1GBF9mDU6gEk5aOXm0fALwzMlvmJkbgBfgzVZSOh3T8BDnLWCnoInOf8TTV6GpAmO4GhfJhEWCOLU6dBZWZ7aTQTFS0Pw/w424-h640/workinprogress.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">My Take:</h2><p><br /></p><table border="0" cellspacing="1" class="myActivity" style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">This book is a profound and moving glimpse into what shame does to people; in this case, does to a young boy. Lerner’s writing and illustrations are genius, and this book is profound on so many levels. While this book deals with being overweight, the story applies to anything that makes a person feel othered and ashamed. Expect this one to earn lots of awards. It deserves it.<br /></span><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Jarrett, you know I am a total fangirl – your work brings such joy and creativity to your readers — but A Work in Progress feels so personal.<span> </span>Can you tell our readers about how you came to write the book?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Thank you! I’ve wanted to write the book for well over a decade now, and had been trying off and on every year or so. I could never get the story out of me in a way that felt authentic and complete and, you know, <i>right</i>. In a lot of ways, I don’t think I was ready. I think becoming a parent, understanding the importance of modeling vulnerability, the power of sharing the stories of our largest struggles – all that contributed to me finally being up for the task of finding the right words and drawings to get this story down on paper.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The story begins with Will finding himself in the crosshairs of a bully — who no surprise has his own issues — and gets called out for his weight. I found this such a true moment, not just in your execution of the painful scene, but Will’s oblivion to the fact that he might be a little overweight. This is so true for kids: we’re going along in life, being loved by our parents, even being loved by other little kids unequivocally in the early elementary years, when suddenly it switches and you feel thrown to the wolves for no reason you can understand. How many times did you have to rewrite this scene? It is so viscerally painful, even as it so beautifully written.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>I rewrote every word in the book more times than I can count. Every page of every book is the product of hundreds, even thousands of decisions – but this book was without a doubt the most difficult I’ve ever undertaken. This scene, though, the flashback that begins it all – I knew that had to be a focal point. It wasn’t always right there in the beginning. It was deep into the process that I realized the book, and Will’s story, needed to start with it. But it was always central. I think the hardest part about it was the framing. Giving readers a quick sense of who Will was before that moment, and then showing him who became after it, and how and why. A few years after the incident, Will compares that moment to an atom bomb going off in his life, wrecking everything in its path. The work was really making sure my readers felt every bit of that.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We don’t read enough in novels about the impact shame has on kids, which is one of the reasons I love this book so much. We’ve all experienced shame in our lives, but kids are mostly not equipped to process and deal with it in an open way. How important was it to portray Will’s shame and really go there?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>This is a great question, and I’m really glad you touched on this aspect of the story. I think shame – and/or the fear of experiencing shame – is one of the primary motivators for human beings. We’ll all do a whole lot to avoid embarrassment. And when we <i>do</i> get humiliated in some way, all bets are off when it comes to our reactions and responses. We’re liable to behave in ways we otherwise never would – maybe even in ways that are against are values and morals and best interests. I also think that all of us, to some extent, carry around and live with shame on a daily basis, and talking about it with kids can be powerful. It can be a productive path toward the opposite of shame: self-acceptance, and hopefully even self-love.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It takes a long time for Will’s parents to clue in that something’s up, and I couldn’t help wondering if it’s because weight is such a taboo subject, even as overweight people are shamed mercilessly for what society deems their lack of self control. Was it hard to get the right balance in Will’s relationship with his parents?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span> </span><b>I didn’t want to portray Will’s parents in any way that they could be blamed for what’s happening to him. It’s way more complicated than that. It’s not that they’re not paying attention. I suppose you could say they could’ve asked more questions, sure. But tweens and teens typically aren’t the most forthcoming with answers, especially when the questions are about sensitive subjects. Part of the problem, too, is that Will puts a lot of creativity and efforts into hiding what he’s doing. He doesn’t want to be found out, and he’s a smart kid. He deploys those brains to deflect unwanted attention from his parents. I think, heartbreakingly, that <i>everyone</i> has <i>something</i> they’re dealing with. Something that troubles them, that can make what might otherwise be an okay or even a good day <i>not</i> so good. But a lot of that suffering happens silently. A lot of it hides in plain sight. I wanted to show that. And I hope I did it in a way that doesn’t leave my readers despondent, but instead compels them to be gentler with those around them, and to maybe, genuinely, ask each other how they’re doing once in a while. <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I’m not going to lie: I cried multiple times reading this book, and not just because of how beautifully the story is written, but also how beautifully you’ve illustrated Will’s story. The pain jumps off the page because of your illustrations, which is amazing. Did you always intend for this to be a graphic novel?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>I mentioned before how many attempts I made to get this story onto paper, and it wasn’t until I landed on this idea of framing it as Will’s notebook that it really started coming in a way that felt right. The book is modeled after my own notebooks that I kept when I was Will’s age. They were a chaotic collage of free verse (which I happened upon without even knowing there was a term for it, just because it allowed me to get my thoughts and feelings and ideas out onto the page faster, without worrying about complete or proper sentences) and drawings of varying completeness. The form was perfect for me and this story for a number of reasons, one being that I always like to use words and pictures if I’m able (it’s how I think, and how I most naturally create), and also because I think it helped make Will’s story as raw and true and potent as possible. Will doesn’t <i>know</i> anyone’s reading his notebook. He’s sharing his story incidentally. And I think, because of this, it lends a certain power to everything. Because of this, an enormous knotty scribble <i>means</i> something. It’s not performative. He doesn’t know he’s sharing it with anyone. He’s just trying to get it out of him, for some sort of release or relief. The form sort of strips away any barriers between us and Will’s naked thoughts and feelings. If he was narrating in prose, if there weren’t the notebook lines – basically, if the story was told in any other way – I don’t think it would hit anywhere near as hard as it does.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><i><o:p> </o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I know this book is so personal for you, but you should be so proud, because a lot of kids are going to feel seen, whatever their issue is, and a lot of discussions and empathy are going to be created. There’s going to be some pretty powerful school trips and letters about this book! Are you ready for that? (Pretty sure I know the answer!)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>It’s begun! I just returned from a tour surrounding the book’s release. I’m fortunate to have now shared and discussed it with thousands of kids and adults. It was terrifying, at first – but after just a couple sessions, all that fell away, and it just felt good. Really, really good. Getting up in front of people and being vulnerable, talking about your toughest, darkest times – it is, perhaps paradoxically, extremely empowering. And the kids have responded so strongly to it. At my launch part for the book, I asked a friend of mine – the great Lynda Mullaly Hunt – if she had any advice for me, as I was starting my school visits for the book the very next day and, as I mentioned, I was <i>terrified</i>. She told me to get up on stage and be as honest and vulnerable as I could possibly be. Be a wide-open book. She told me the kids would see that, and respect it, and tune in, and even reciprocate. And she was right. I’ve been so impressed and delighted by how willing, even <i>eager</i>kids are to discuss all the issues broached in the book. It’s been remarkable, and yeah – I’m very proud and grateful I can serve as a role model for these kids, and I hope sharing my story, and Will’s story, helps ensure that <i>their</i> stories never get as dark or troubled as ours.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s next?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>A summer of rest and relaxation! When I’m not working to hit my looming deadlines, that is. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m fortunate to have a whole bunch of books lined up for the coming years. I can’t wait to share.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">Thanks Jarrett – both for writing an amazing novel that is going to help and support so many kids and for being such an ally for kids everywhere! Bravo!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">want to learn more about Jarrett and his book? Click<a href="https://jarrettlerner.com" target="_blank"> here</a>.</p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-72153371493214113872023-05-22T05:00:00.001-07:002023-05-22T05:00:00.152-07:00Author Interview: Casey Lyall, Author of Gnome is Where Your Heart Is<p> </p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Another great interview about a truly fabulous and unique book!</h1><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGIr0GuyNFlAO59DBvcsAI_HiZy2ocXmoLCvNl6mOp0oIgqSs07AHiLsDU7gGV3uUDq4gq5-xUmlSyeRHGUilDjMybYmjTCGTruyUbJLAY-29ONVHahFC6yMAhQhlFW5Rf9voufS9Ow9U8nLDc7Z8TLekYJ7XIBLNN7d4PgwpFF1BpSx4pvP-w5WeCw/s2400/gnome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1589" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGIr0GuyNFlAO59DBvcsAI_HiZy2ocXmoLCvNl6mOp0oIgqSs07AHiLsDU7gGV3uUDq4gq5-xUmlSyeRHGUilDjMybYmjTCGTruyUbJLAY-29ONVHahFC6yMAhQhlFW5Rf9voufS9Ow9U8nLDc7Z8TLekYJ7XIBLNN7d4PgwpFF1BpSx4pvP-w5WeCw/w424-h640/gnome.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I got a chance to read an advanced reader's copy of this book and I was hooked from the first page all the way to the end!</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">ABOUT THE BOOK:</h2><p><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Lemon Peabody is certain that aliens visited Grandpa Walt thirty years ago, but she's running out of time to prove it before he forgets his best story. This humorous and tenderhearted story about family, friendship, and always believing in yourself is for fans of Greg van Eekhout, Stuart Gibbs, and </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: 700 !important;">Hour of the Bees</span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lemon Peabody loves spending time with Grandpa Walt. Even though he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and moved to an assisted living facility, he’s still the same funny, loving grandpa he’s always been. One of Grandpa’s claims to fame is his story about meeting an alien years ago—and that it looked like a garden gnome. Ever since, it’s been something of a town-wide joke, and the cause of a rift between Grandpa and Lemon’s dad. Lemon is determined to find those extraterrestrial gnomes and vindicate Grandpa Walt—while Grandpa can still remember it.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Late one night, after seeing the flash of a spaceship during a storm, Lemon enlists the help of two friends to find out what might have crashed in the woods. But then the aliens find </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important;">her</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">, and nothing goes the way she expected. Lemon is sure she can convince the aliens to fix Grandpa Walt’s memory and bring back the grandpa she misses so much for good. But the aliens are dealing with problems of their own. With a little creativity and compassion, maybe they can all help one another.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">THE INTERVIEW:</span></h2><div><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b>1)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->In the introduction to <i>Gnome is Where Your Heart Is</i>, you tell a delightful story about how the gnomes just "snuck up on you”, as did Walt and Lemon, two of the many fantastic characters that appear in the book. Clearly, your subconscious was sending you messages, because the idea of aliens fits so perfectly with someone suffering from Alzheimer’s – it often feels like something otherworldly has taken over our loved one’s body and it’s difficult for us to know if what they are telling us is grounded in reality. How soon did you realize that Walt and Lemon and the aliens had a heart story to tell?</b><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium;"><i>The story started with the idea of garden gnome aliens and as soon as I started asking those questions that you always dive into when you’re trying to break down an idea — Why garden gnome aliens? Why are they here? Who are they here for? What’s the problem? — that was when Lemon entered the picture and with Lemon came Walt and the pieces started to fall into place and I said “Ah. This is the story.”</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b>2)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Lemon struggles with being disappointed in her father, just as her father struggles with being disappointed with Walt. At times it feels like these dysfunctional relationships are bred in the bone. How important was it for you to really showcase the pain this family has experienced after Walt’s first contact?</b><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><i>It wasn’t a story that I set out to tell, but one that evolved as I got to know the characters. It became really clear that this was the path they’d travelled and I wanted to do my best to give justice to their story, especially the ways that they work on healing.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b>3)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Belief plays a huge role in the book, and we see some characters who are more open to believing in advance of proof (Lemon’s friends Marlo and Rachel) and those who simply cannot believe unless they see something with their own eyes (Lemon’s dad). How easy is it for you to believe in things?</b><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><i>I’ve always been big on the power of belief and being open to things. And if we want to specifically talk about believing in aliens? I just think that statistically, there has to be someone else out there. I’m definitely more of a Mulder than a Scully, haha!</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b>4)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The beginning of the first chapter that alien Gnedley appears in totally cracked me up. I could almost hear Bruce Willis muttering under his breath. It turns out the aliens have their own trust issues. When did you decide that the aliens’ side of the story would be part adventure/part finding out who you can count on?</b><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><i>That storyline kind of evolved naturally. I wanted Gnedley to have something as interesting to grapple with as Lemon’s storyline was for her. I liked the parallels of both of them going on this adventure and finding out that not everything is what they thought it was. And that callback to the power of belief and trust for both of them.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b>5)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Lemon believes blindly, thanks to her total belief in Walt, but the book does a wonderful job of pointing out the cost of blind faith – both for the humans and for the aliens. Was that an issue you wanted to explore early on or did it just evolve organically?<span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><b> </b></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><i>That was another part of the story that definitely came together as I wrote. My focus is always on character over theme. I try to immerse myself in the character and let them tell their story how it needs to be told. Any theme that comes out of it is often a by-product of being true to the character. I just to my best to listen to them!<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b>6)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Finally: An alien spaceship lands in your backyard tomorrow — are you getting on?</b><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Oh, man – I’d have to really think about it! I’d definitely want to check it out and poke around, but I also don’t think I’d be ready to leave everyone and go on a space adventure and I feel like that would totally accidentally happen to me. Maybe I’d settle for smushing my face against the window and seeing what I could see…<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><i> </i></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Thank you, Casey! Loved the book so much! </b><o:p></o:p></p></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CASEY LYALL AND HER OTHER FABULOUS BOOKS?</span></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">CLICK <a href="https://www.caseylyall.com" target="_blank">HERE. </a></span></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-89653280915671054322023-03-27T04:56:00.005-07:002023-03-27T04:56:00.176-07:00Author Interview: Jaime Berry, author of HEART FINDS<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Finds-Jaime-Berry/dp/031639047X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Heart Finds</a> is such a fabulous book!</h1><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CBeRr0rv6WrIeMiXm0PacBUMhdXDpbJXHBjMk3CsM603NtswpNMGKz-vL7SEzit0Ehz0uRiD2VQwz0t0g89G17irDKIM_X3azB5idZn4fV0S3lKt87-8lStI8LO9Pop8xcmPQNIVESxwZAPsuPGIJyVjYpIHgG6zpIKpWjSpVj2LJYm3ts36CaZKjA/s500/heartfinds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="344" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CBeRr0rv6WrIeMiXm0PacBUMhdXDpbJXHBjMk3CsM603NtswpNMGKz-vL7SEzit0Ehz0uRiD2VQwz0t0g89G17irDKIM_X3azB5idZn4fV0S3lKt87-8lStI8LO9Pop8xcmPQNIVESxwZAPsuPGIJyVjYpIHgG6zpIKpWjSpVj2LJYm3ts36CaZKjA/w275-h400/heartfinds.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>As soon as I finished the book - which I read in one sitting because it was such a good book - I knew I needed to talk about with author Jaime Berry!<div><br /></div><div>And now of course I need to go back and read her debut novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Springs-Jaime-Berry/dp/0316540595/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QQH5COQASOW6&keywords=hope+springs+jaime+berry&qid=1679658469&sprefix=hope+springs+%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-1" target="_blank">HOPE SPRINGS</a>!<br /><div><br /></div><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">About The Book:</span></span></h2><div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></div><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 0px;">Eleven-year-old Mabel Cunningham is a quiet loner who only feels free to be herself when she's "extreme treasure hunting" with her grampa—much to her perfectionist mother's disapproval. Nothing excites Mabel more than discovering a heart find, an item that calls to her heart, and the maybes that come along with it.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 0px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 0px;">But when her friendships start to crumble and her grampa suffers a stroke, Mabel quickly learns that real-life maybes are harder to handle than imagined ones. Desperate to change things back to the way they were, Mabel devises a plan that she believes will fix everything. Except bringing her plan to fruition means lying to her grampa and disappointing her mother.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 0px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-indent: 0px;">Will Mabel learn that letting go of the past doesn’t mean letting go of her grampa and that embracing the future might be one of her most important heart finds yet?</span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">The Interview</span></span></h2><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Hi Jaime! Congratulations on writing such a fantastic book! You had me hooked from the very first line: “My grampa always says the best treasures are the ones that hide in plain sight.” It’s a genius first line, because it lays out exactly what your story is about, both thematically and plot-wise! Was it the book’s first line from the get-go?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Thank you so much, Wendy! That first line came about after many, many revisions and I’m so happy it drew you in. First lines are so hard, aren’t they? And finding one that hinted at the theme and my main character’s journey took several tries. I loved my original first line, but it wasn’t doing the work a really good opening line needs to do, so I think it’s now buried in the beginning of Chapter 3. But as Mabel learns some changes are necessary and sometimes even better in the end.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span></span></span><b><!--[endif]-->I love the term <i>heart finds</i> — as soon as I read it, it resonated with me: that feeling of connection with a person, a place or thing that is so visceral it can’t be denied. But you play with the theme beautifully in the book, because sometimes we don’t recognize something in front of us as being a heart find straight away. Has that been your experience, too?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Absolutely, yes. In the first draft I was calling them “amazing finds” and it just wasn’t specific enough. I have my editor, Sam Gentry, to thank for pushing me to really think about what I was trying to get across—that sense of connection that resonates in one’s heart. The main character, Mabel, is sort of a lonely kid, and I wanted that term “heart finds” to hint at what she was really searching for, more connections that made her heart hum, and not just to places or things, but most especially to people who loved her exactly as she is.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>The main character Mabel is caught in the middle between her single parent mom and her beloved grandfather at the same time she is navigating the politics of middle school. Mabel is a quirky girl, an old soul, who you know is going to grow up to be the most interesting person in the room. But those kinds of kids often struggle in middle school and high school. How challenging was it to write the truth about a girl who colors outside the lines?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Having been a kid who often didn’t fit in and didn’t fully understand the social complexities of middle school, I feel Mabel and I might be kindred spirits. Getting to know my main character is normally something I figure out as I go, but Mabel came to me fairly easily. I felt I knew her well before I even started writing, but I found feeling that close to a character to be a bit tricky. There were certain scenes that were difficult to write! I almost felt guilty creating moments that I knew would hurt her, but also were necessary to force her growth and push her toward finding people who appreciated her uniqueness. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><b><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->When Grampa gets sick, Mabel’s world is up-ended, a common experience for kids the age of your readers. Your write so movingly about this – did you go through something similar when you were young?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I was very close to my grandmother—this book is dedicated to her. She was unruly, funny, creative, and sure of herself. When we spent time together, that self-assuredness was contagious. She made me feel like I was her absolute favorite person in the whole world, and she was definitely mine. She passed away when I was a teenager and it was really difficult to figure out how to find my way back to that feeling without her. I think it’s also worth mentioning that I wrote a majority of Mabel’s story during the height of the pandemic—another time in my life when I felt, along with many others I imagine, completely off balance and uncertain of what the future held. I hope people who read the book come away with the message that when we’re knocked off our feet as Mabel is, it’s okay to struggle and make mistakes as we get back up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span></span></span><b><!--[endif]-->Mabel’s relationship with her mother evolves during the book, and we come to have a tremendous amount of sympathy for the character. While Mabel is caught between her mother and her grandfather, we realize the unfair position they’ve both put her in at times. It’s not something you see enough of in books, how kids are often victims of issues between parents and grandparents. Was that important for you to portray this?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">You’re right, it’s not something we see very often in middle grade. In my experience, even the best of family relationships is complicated, and kids are often caught in the middle. Through the course of the book Mabel gains a deeper understanding of her mother’s relationship with Grampa and she learns that she’s misjudged them both a bit—Grampa isn’t entirely blameless, and her mom isn’t entirely to blame. One of the things Mabel says about scavenging for finds with Grampa is that it can be hard to figure out what to hold on to and what to let go—relationships can be that way too in a sense. But by the end of the book, I think they’ve all figured out a way to let go of a few things, to do a better job loving each other, and come to understand that maybe their most valuable heart finds are one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>When can we expect another Jaime Berry book?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I wish I knew! I’ve just finished up a draft of another tug-at-your-heart, contemporary middle grade—it’s still far away from having a specific publication date. But I feel so very grateful and lucky to get to write books for kids and can’t wait to get the next one into reader’s hands! Thank you so much for this opportunity to chat about HEART FINDS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><b>You are so welcome!</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Want to learn more about Jaime Berry? Visit her beautiful website <a href="https://www.jaimeberryauthor.com" target="_blank">here!</a></span></p></div>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-32629523461770398312022-12-15T10:29:00.000-08:002022-12-15T10:29:56.620-08:00Review: THE VERY DANGEROUS SISTERS OF INDIGO MCCLOUD by John Hearne<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMijjPZcHseDMGcc4eSck3eK5J8imllv8Xf6amaqH5UjAvbZVfDij2LybCFXBZsYxsYRDiseCAColU5JdZ5sHJ66gWoM6xadnf4lrdxEgYOIaVOYp0dlb55vXbTL5Yi1Dj1cZSBA0ddlB7EA8Esct84OeyLiRG_LA_w16PJ7hzYSBHX8Airc66t5SruA/s2560/insigomccloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1671" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMijjPZcHseDMGcc4eSck3eK5J8imllv8Xf6amaqH5UjAvbZVfDij2LybCFXBZsYxsYRDiseCAColU5JdZ5sHJ66gWoM6xadnf4lrdxEgYOIaVOYp0dlb55vXbTL5Yi1Dj1cZSBA0ddlB7EA8Esct84OeyLiRG_LA_w16PJ7hzYSBHX8Airc66t5SruA/w418-h640/insigomccloud.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Confession: the author had me as soon as I read the title. While Indigo spells his last name differently than mine — McCloud versus McLeod — our last names are the same. So I had to learn all about his horrible sisters!</p><p><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Description</h1><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;">Indigo McCloud’s sister Peaches is every adult's favourite child: pretty, golden-haired, polite and charming. But the children of Blunt know better: Peaches and her three sisters are a gang of bullies who will stop at nothing to get their way.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;">This is the story of Indigo’s battle to stop his sisters. Leaping across the rooftops of Blunt, he tries to keep one step ahead of their wicked schemes –but he has to tangle with 437 hungry geese, an avalanche of toilets, curry farts, bungling policemen, vicious eels, a pig in a witch's hat, a three legged spider with a toilet brush and a dangerous villain in odd socks …</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;">What I Thought</span></span></h1><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;">This book is HYSTERICAL. And sooooo dark. </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);">The story begins with the sisters terrorizing a neighbour children who is unwilling to do their bidding. </span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);">Her punishment by the sisters is cruel, but also funny, a theme repeated again and again in the story.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);">But Indigo's had enough.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);">And when new neighbour Mandy Tripe and her family are terrorized by his sisters, he's had </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);">enough.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);"><br /></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;">Cue an elaborate revenge plot where Peaches and her sisters get their comeuppance and Indigo and the neighbourhood children finally find peace.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;">Filled with cheeky humour and some very gross experiences, kids are going to lap this book up!</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;">John Hearne has written a book worthy of the Roald Dahl canon.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;">Publishes </span><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;">February 7, 2023 by Little Island Books.</span></h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: times;">Want to learn more about the author? Click <a href="https://www.johnhearneauthor.com/about-the-author" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></h3>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-89819984339265147362022-11-09T07:24:00.004-08:002022-11-09T07:24:55.321-08:00Review: MELTDOWN by Anita Sanchez, Illustrated by Lily Padula<p> </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">I don't know about you, but I'm worried about glaciers.</h2><p>When I was a kid (back when the dinosaurs walked the earth) I was fascinated by these massive ice rivers that rolled through mountains I could only dream about. </p><p>Eventually I grew up and got to visit the mountains, and finally, in 2014, got to set foot on the Columbia ice fields just north of Banff, Alberta in Canada. </p><p>But when I drove past that same glacier just a few years later, it had shrunk considerably.</p><p>Which is why I jumped at the chance to read Anita Sanchez' s new book MELTDOWN: DISCOVER EARTH'S IRREPLACEABLE GLACIERS AND LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SAVE THEM.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJFtCe14H5rd7YLrMUyP2l8wWEaKOtrmB9r2c6ueEGL5apsV7niDJycDNUilDPhBVAlClCna1zufBZUnCJ--JVfpo29hTg5gk5qtCvkW-F1vJLOHGu6U6voOsZPEDYuuRChnIieTwWjI5YdFU5BqvW3fttXL45BUd-JukFyYDqX_NrinDx12n0D-R4w/s2560/meltdown1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2055" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJFtCe14H5rd7YLrMUyP2l8wWEaKOtrmB9r2c6ueEGL5apsV7niDJycDNUilDPhBVAlClCna1zufBZUnCJ--JVfpo29hTg5gk5qtCvkW-F1vJLOHGu6U6voOsZPEDYuuRChnIieTwWjI5YdFU5BqvW3fttXL45BUd-JukFyYDqX_NrinDx12n0D-R4w/w321-h400/meltdown1.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Anita is an award winning author of environmental science and nature books for children and it shows in this book, which is clearly written and organized in a way that draws the reader in.</p><p>First we learn about glaciers and the role they play in our planet.</p><p>Then she explains how we know they are melting, which teaches the importance of data gathering and scientific techniques.</p><p>Then we learn why they are melting, which was way more complicated and interesting than I had anticipated.</p><p>There is lots of cool information about what scientists are finding and learning from our glaciers, and great information about plants and animals that rely on glaciers.</p><p>Then we reach the hard part: what will happen if all the glaciers disappear.</p><p>And finally hope: if we take action now, we may be able to mitigate some of the effects.</p><p>There's also tons of additional resources for more information, along with a bibliography and glossary.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">What I thought</h2><p>Books about climate change are never easy.</p><p>We are learning things we wish we didn't have to know. </p><p>But it is especially important for kids to learn this information now, as they can help lead us into a brighter future. (And yes, Greta Thunberg is included in the book)</p><p>Sanchez explains things clearly and gives the reader hope, but is also very open about what's at stake.</p><p>Meanwhile, Lily Padula's illustrations are great and very evocative:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwUVXw99L6xiS4kXBiGzvEjG12PdDBA2YFvCywEVl8UtcnoOGQsTLObDrbznR3lyjOfp-fAGb9wSs9acMMFHFppY1bwrJChMvlU71vMBftpOs1MTLcfbxZFcqK4Qp3sNkrGjsTivnTorsak0mWJ4blH2Q_rboSc_rDIGQ5DX77ERqwmkbmo3bsVquiw/s2560/meltdown2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2560" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwUVXw99L6xiS4kXBiGzvEjG12PdDBA2YFvCywEVl8UtcnoOGQsTLObDrbznR3lyjOfp-fAGb9wSs9acMMFHFppY1bwrJChMvlU71vMBftpOs1MTLcfbxZFcqK4Qp3sNkrGjsTivnTorsak0mWJ4blH2Q_rboSc_rDIGQ5DX77ERqwmkbmo3bsVquiw/w400-h250/meltdown2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZCFsnqcs9VJQ32GRHutzjboF8zBtIi6abPnRDae2fdjbMuh5aDkOzY-wZjvI0QA8ohENZ8Fnkcv3NYoq9XL3R5wgcRj3a_OAt9BQyMQSHk_p_q16RKpVRdQ-5WTsT7U2mthyrt1HlN52SVKuLYp2JC5W1g7PWVd7jBP6RIDRHDwvq5eWBW6CyywKoA/s2560/meltdown3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2560" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZCFsnqcs9VJQ32GRHutzjboF8zBtIi6abPnRDae2fdjbMuh5aDkOzY-wZjvI0QA8ohENZ8Fnkcv3NYoq9XL3R5wgcRj3a_OAt9BQyMQSHk_p_q16RKpVRdQ-5WTsT7U2mthyrt1HlN52SVKuLYp2JC5W1g7PWVd7jBP6RIDRHDwvq5eWBW6CyywKoA/w400-h250/meltdown3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>This book belongs in every home and library, and teachers need to use it to help explain what's happening.</p><p>Sanchez and Padula have issued a clarion call for action.</p><p><br /></p><p>My hope is that tons of people read this book and do something about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>5 stars!</p><p><br /></p><p>Click on her name to learn more about <a href="https://anitasanchez.com" target="_blank">Anita Sanchez</a> and her environmental science and nature books! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-37286182103343801282022-10-21T03:00:00.003-07:002022-10-21T04:13:13.315-07:00The Rabbit's Gift By Jessica Vitalis<p> </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">I recently had the opportunity to chat with author Jessica Vitalis about her wonderful new novel, The Rabbit's Gift, which comes out October 25th! I loved this book so much!</h2><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q7h1LIl6_vJvvpEHhyu3TfttvYo4yF2zShwnsnNOR7aCTRTxy0w-Za0gjqVN784R9eR7F6Zis6webYhocgcPDv3kOIRXNNwHciJgESLgw7J2p1ouOCesc6HYVhO7Pu6Rg_LBvOZnnSx3BrUkX7_fVpoToBzXI7PxID_1vctgU2Mhw5MgGHhsi1L2CA/s2417/rabbitsgift.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2417" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q7h1LIl6_vJvvpEHhyu3TfttvYo4yF2zShwnsnNOR7aCTRTxy0w-Za0gjqVN784R9eR7F6Zis6webYhocgcPDv3kOIRXNNwHciJgESLgw7J2p1ouOCesc6HYVhO7Pu6Rg_LBvOZnnSx3BrUkX7_fVpoToBzXI7PxID_1vctgU2Mhw5MgGHhsi1L2CA/w424-h640/rabbitsgift.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">What it's about:</h2><p><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Quincy Rabbit and his warren live a simple yet high-stakes life. In exchange for the purple carrots they need to survive, they farm and deliver Chou de vie (cabbage-like plants that grow human babies inside) to the human citizens of Montpeyroux. But lately, because of those selfish humans, there haven’t been enough carrots to go around. So Quincy sets out to change that—all he needs are some carrot seeds. He’ll be a hero. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fleurine sees things a little differently. As the only child of the Grand Lumière, she’s being groomed to follow in her mother’s political footsteps—no matter how much Fleurine longs to be a botanist instead. Convinced that having a sibling will shift her mother’s attention, Fleurine tries to grow purple carrots, hoping to make a trade with the rabbits. But then a sneaky rabbit steals her seeds. In her desperation to get them back, she follows that rabbit all the way to the secret warren—and steals a Chou.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Quincy and Fleurine have endangered not just the one baby inside the Chou, but the future of Montpeyroux itself—for rabbits and humans alike. Now, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other to restore the balance. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Told from both Quincy’s and Fleurine’s perspectives, </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">The Rabbit’s Gift</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> will enchant fans of Katherine Applegate, Gail Carson Levine, and Anne Ursu.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Interview:</h2><div><br /></div><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Hi Jessica! I absolutely adored The Rabbit’s Gift! It is one of the most creative fairy tales I have ever read!<span> </span>Can you talk about your inspiration?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Absolutely! After writing <i>The Wolf’s Curse</i>, which I always thought of as my “death” book due to the Grim Reaper mythology, I really wanted to write a companion novel about birth, but for a long time I couldn’t think of anything appropriate for middle grade readers. Then a critique partner asked me if I was familiar with </span><i><span style="background-color: color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">La Fée aux Choux</span></i><span style="background-color: color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> (The Cabbage Fairy), which is a short, silent film based on the French mythology that babies grow in cabbage plants. As soon as I watched the film (I highly recommend googling it!), I knew right away that I’d found the seed for my next story––one where human babies are grown in cabbage-like plants and delivered by rabbits!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>I love that the first time we meet Quincy, he’s sharing his perspective on heroes and villains and his realization that whether we considered someone (or ourselves!) one or the other depends on whose side we’re on. What made you want to state that up front?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When I first tried writing <i>The Rabbit’s Gift</i>, I thought I needed an omniscient narrator since that’s what I’d used in <i>The Wolf’s Curse</i>. But my critique partners kept telling me the voice sounded too much like Wolf, so I decided to write from dual points of view—a young male rabbit and a human girl. Rather than label one of them the protagonist and one of them the antagonist, I wanted to play with how perspective impacts the stories we tell. When I sat down to start writing, Quincy showed up and insisted on talking about heroes and villains, so I let him run the show!<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>An interesting through-line in the story is that both Quincy the Rabbit and Princess Fleurine are forced into roles because of circumstances beyond their control — his size, her being royalty. What message do you hope your readers will take away from their attempts to change that narrative?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the things I’ve noticed in my own life as a stay-at-home mom, writer, and introvert, is that when I spend too much time alone, my own problems or issues take on an oversized importance relative to the rest of the world. In <i>The Rabbit’s Gift</i>, Quincy and Fleurine are both so focused on their own unhappiness that they both make mistakes with grave consequences; it’s not until they start to put others first and think about the world around them that their lives start to change for the better. So I think one of the messages in this story is that true happiness rarely comes from trying to change things out of our control; rather, it comes from working to build strong relationships with our friends, family, and community, and by doing our part to try to leave the world a little better than when we found it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>One thing that you do so well is show how easy it is for the older generation (and some of the younger!) to say “Well, that’s the way it always is.” Change isn’t easy, but I hope this really encourages your readers to push for a better future!</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I hope so, too! There is so much happening in the world right that that gives us all cause for concern; it can be easy to feel small and inconsequential when there are so many systemic problems that need addressing, but I hope young readers will grow up feeling empowered to ask big questions and search for big answers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> <b> </b></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>The need for cooperation is central to the story and brought to mind how much healthier our planet would be if that was happening more. Can you talk about that?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Absolutely! In <i>The Rabbit’s Gift</i>, human babies are grown in cabbage-like plants and delivered by rabbits. In return, they receive the purple carrots essential to their survival. This symbiosis is the theme upon which the whole story is built, and I hope it shines light on our own tenuous dependency on the natural world. Because the story was written in the first half of 2020, when our divides as a modern nation were coming into sharper relief than ever before, I also wanted to write a story that reminds readers that it’s not only our connection to the natural world that we need to mind, but our connections with each other—as family, as friends, as neighbors, but most importantly, as humans. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>All of the characters are wonderful, but I adore Quincy!<span> </span>How hard was it to write from a rabbit’s perspective?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">On one hand, writing from Quincy’s perspective wasn’t all that difficult because I knew he needed to have the same type of character arc as all of my characters. And it was actually a lot of fun trying to envision seeing the human world for the first time from his perspective. On the other hand, I discovered while writing this story how little I actually knew about rabbits! For example, it wasn’t until I built their entire world around the rabbits needing nutritious purple carrots that I learned that carrots aren’t especially good for real rabbits due to their high sugar content. And I had no idea until after I’d already written certain scenes that rabbits are mostly color blind, are decent swimmers, and have an extra (clear) eyelid that allows them to sleep with their eyes open. Thankfully Angora Roux aren’t real rabbits, so I was able to take plenty of liberties for the sake of the story! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Finally: what’s next?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m glad you asked! My next book, <i>Coyote Queen</i>, publishes with Greenwillow/HarperCollins in the fall of 2023. <i>Coyote Queen </i>is the book of my heart, and the reason I set out to become a writer more than 15 years ago. It’s the story of a girl who enters a beauty pageant desperate to win the prize money to escape her abusive stepfather, only to discover that she’s turning into a coyote. Another (as of yet untitled) book will follow in 2024. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Want to learn more about Jessica and her books? Click <a href="https://jessicavitalis.com" target="_blank">here</a>!</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-65432326835857872532022-09-05T05:00:00.083-07:002022-09-05T05:00:00.203-07:00Review: Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEeov_bq8mmuzUPo7-AEiKC_9YhPuKQ1C18dA-_o8HWloaLgP0-5tW4y9hFTGadmOgUdDR1JhnqtDVZkecpvAAKc-quj4Ws0CcSCPKdxLHTnsKBLo9ND_lO0294qhljqnfL6adpA0c_5TZOP8VuEqHi8FbZx3G2YoKPmQqM7xahWfegyJAEO9gdGQ/s400/ravenfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEeov_bq8mmuzUPo7-AEiKC_9YhPuKQ1C18dA-_o8HWloaLgP0-5tW4y9hFTGadmOgUdDR1JhnqtDVZkecpvAAKc-quj4Ws0CcSCPKdxLHTnsKBLo9ND_lO0294qhljqnfL6adpA0c_5TZOP8VuEqHi8FbZx3G2YoKPmQqM7xahWfegyJAEO9gdGQ/w262-h396/ravenfall.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In Ravenfall, the Ballinkay family lives in a magical inn with a mind of its own. Thirteen-year-old Anna Ballinkay can see death just by touching someone. But even in a family full of talented psychics, Anna feels like an outcast and constantly wonders how her powers might be useful to maintaining her family's inn. </p><p> </p><p>That is until fourteen-year-old Colin Pierce shows up on their doorstep in search of his missing brother after the death of their parents. Finally finding a use for her powers, Anna offers to help Colin track down the killer. </p><p> </p><p>As they struggle to understand who is behind the death and what they might want with Colin, the hidden secrets go deeper and deeper. And if they can't solve the mystery by Samhain (the Irish Halloween), the veil between life and death will be ripped open destroying their world before they can solve the murder.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ravenfall is filled with Irish traditions and lore. Anna and Colin are the perfect pair to tackle this mystery as the story twists and turns. It's exciting to watch them both discover who they are and what their strengths are in the process. As they navigate a whimsical world with a quirky psychic family, a magical house that fixes and decorates itself, and a shapeshifting cat, they learn about the world of the dead all while finding their rightful place among those they care about. Ravenfall has the right touch of secrets and scary and is a perfect read for spooky season.<br /></p>Jamie Krakoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16808802721340647047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-75575518248518826712022-08-30T02:00:00.001-07:002022-08-30T02:00:00.201-07:00AUTHOR INTERVIEW: ERIN ENTRADA KELLY, AUTHOR OF SURELY, SURELY, MARISOL RAINEY<p> </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">You are in for another treat this week! </h2><p><br /></p><p>Not only did I get a chance to read an advance reader copy of SURELY, SURELY, MARISOL RAINEY, but I got to interview Award Winning, Best-selling, author Erin Entrada Kelly!</p><p><br /></p><p>You know her from her amazing books, including the following:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQDkYT-a4ot3VuuGysTdJc_YhqDBZJ-dP--Aszu8eTvV-it9PUFbIti74AolLs5y4Mvnp8zYYngTDjsYqQqhc58w8n5ov3JoXvEH4O0oj2W3kWcml9wEPP7DYQaA6qOj1-3oTm1H2CA7bGoxTsdngklSdcJo6yCaeXymMVpoQyuJoqTADgdmru5ft1A/s240/yougo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQDkYT-a4ot3VuuGysTdJc_YhqDBZJ-dP--Aszu8eTvV-it9PUFbIti74AolLs5y4Mvnp8zYYngTDjsYqQqhc58w8n5ov3JoXvEH4O0oj2W3kWcml9wEPP7DYQaA6qOj1-3oTm1H2CA7bGoxTsdngklSdcJo6yCaeXymMVpoQyuJoqTADgdmru5ft1A/w267-h400/yougo.jpeg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4CVveUgfKjiprHcnR5B-05iKwZd5QVRZ0QWPTvrFU2PKqJLctIp0c7YoVPw4EfGJjloxgJ9E6JyF_UICcwHp1tQmDLdiOLQcFEUyvyMkXvsOGfX4nXFo-CjvIt706KakYAClyDQimpuRV1pgiqfVa2NeJUi5OsEHDnfAFjR_hk0g2rFXhEOz6ct1xQ/s240/hello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4CVveUgfKjiprHcnR5B-05iKwZd5QVRZ0QWPTvrFU2PKqJLctIp0c7YoVPw4EfGJjloxgJ9E6JyF_UICcwHp1tQmDLdiOLQcFEUyvyMkXvsOGfX4nXFo-CjvIt706KakYAClyDQimpuRV1pgiqfVa2NeJUi5OsEHDnfAFjR_hk0g2rFXhEOz6ct1xQ/w267-h400/hello.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mYJSeCE6wG9v_Uo1f2HmrKVujYeftN_WJ2BUx13CuT80noapQCg-wFHENDvq3KL4M1Hej5nCqQ2T6ehBdLaDFTB6e59s1wX4bKmuANxIPwxv2VYdLUSOmzyZfFJ7t2RRVJ1_wj8I54t46tpArYPXm9pzUk8n1dB4NC-OMQYBk4nogWG_oegIDmFqow/s240/for.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mYJSeCE6wG9v_Uo1f2HmrKVujYeftN_WJ2BUx13CuT80noapQCg-wFHENDvq3KL4M1Hej5nCqQ2T6ehBdLaDFTB6e59s1wX4bKmuANxIPwxv2VYdLUSOmzyZfFJ7t2RRVJ1_wj8I54t46tpArYPXm9pzUk8n1dB4NC-OMQYBk4nogWG_oegIDmFqow/w267-h400/for.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>She's one of my favourite authors, so it was a real treat to ask her about her latest book, a chapter book that continues the adventures of Marisol Rainey, who is one of the most delightful characters you will ever meet.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">About the book:</h3><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6o8fyKoQHX1WyOiJgQNY-jH5zSRfWGC9xjBeXW8aBjhC8iP7JAtwVPJvcGnu6zh18Yjx-2WmONFfgcsmnhR3ApXLhvVF8vrSt9bPHzy-wYMtSzj9wgzRax0HD_yrybEUyR2iu7zXao4r3BQ_7sRhn1NM9v4BGWBnAgh0J9kFfI4PkUcJ05t5XiI9WQ/s2217/marisol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2217" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6o8fyKoQHX1WyOiJgQNY-jH5zSRfWGC9xjBeXW8aBjhC8iP7JAtwVPJvcGnu6zh18Yjx-2WmONFfgcsmnhR3ApXLhvVF8vrSt9bPHzy-wYMtSzj9wgzRax0HD_yrybEUyR2iu7zXao4r3BQ_7sRhn1NM9v4BGWBnAgh0J9kFfI4PkUcJ05t5XiI9WQ/w289-h400/marisol.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Everyone loves sports . . . except Marisol! The stand-alone companion to Newbery Medal winner and </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: 700 !important;">New York Times–</span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">bestselling Erin Entrada Kelly’s </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: 700 !important;">Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey</span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;"> is an irresistible and humorous story about friendship, family, and fitting in. Fans of </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: 700 !important;">Clementine, Billy Miller Makes a Wish, </span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">and </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: 700 !important;">Ramona the Pest</span><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;"> will find a new friend in Marisol. </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;">Marisol Rainey’s two least-favorite things are radishes and gym class. She avoids radishes with very little trouble, but gym is another story—especially when Coach Decker announces that they will be learning to play kickball.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: times;">There are so many things that can go wrong in kickball. What if Marisol tries to kick the ball . . . but falls down? What if she tries to catch the ball and gets smacked in the nose? What if she’s the worst kickballer in the history of kickball? Marisol and her best friend Jada decide to get help from the most unlikely—and most annoying—athlete in the world: Marisol’s big brother, Oz.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Told in short chapters with illustrations by the author on almost every page, Erin Entrada Kelly’s stand-alone companion novel to </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important;">Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> celebrates the small but mighty Marisol, the joys of friendship, the power of being different, and the triumph of persevering. </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic !important;">Surely Surely Marisol Rainey</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> is ideal for readers of Kevin Henkes, Meg Medina, Judy Blume, and Beverly Cleary. </span></span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Interview</h2><div><br /></div><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">First of all, I adored SURELY SURELY MARISOL RAINEY!<span> </span>It’s the perfect follow-up to MAYBE MAYBE<span> </span>MARISOL RAINEY!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 35.45pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">As a kid who often heard “Nice try”, I could one hundred percent relate to Marisol’s reluctance to participate in kickball!<span> </span>For many kids who aren’t very athletic, gym class can be traumatizing. Did you pull on experiences of your own to make it feel so accurate?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 35.45pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 35.45pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Absolutely. Marisol is the closest autobiographical character I’ve ever written. Everything about her—except for some elements of her family dynamic—are all Erin. This includes the things she loves, like cats, silent films, and her best friend, along with all her fears and insecurities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 35.45pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 35.45pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.55pt; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">One of my biggest struggles growing up was being in the shadow of my older sister, who was more athletic and didn’t seem afraid of anything, much like Marisol’s brother Oz. With SURELY SURELY, I drew on my childhood fear of playing team sports. In my case, it was softball. I tried all these tricks to avoid going up to bat, like sneaking to the back of the line, but my time eventually came. I struck out the first time. The next time, I kept my eye on the ball and hit it. Not very hard, but I hit it. I made it to first base. Then the bell rang. I still remember what it felt like when the bat hit the ball. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I love the metaphor of a brain train — it’s the perfect way to describe how our thoughts can race and hurtle us down the tracks to places we really don’t want to visit. What I love about it especially in this book is that kids (and adult readers like me!) will really see themselves in Marisol. She’s a worrier, like so many of us. Why do you think it’s so important for kids to see beloved characters struggling?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We—and by “we,” I mean adults—often have an idealized concept of childhood. We grow up and suddenly all the problems we had as children seem small in comparison. But they weren’t small. And they certainly don’t feel small to the children experiencing them. Adults can be incredibly patronizing and condescending. When kids have crushes, we call it “puppy love.” When kids cry too easily, we say they’re “too sensitive.” We toss their problems aside and give them lectures about the “real world.” Their worlds may seem small and silly to us, but they’re very real. This includes their triumphs and their heartbreaks. Adults forget how difficult it is to grow up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I still remember the first time I felt truly seen as a young reader—it’s when I read <i>The Very Worried Walrus</i>, which was part of the Sweet Pickles collection. I loved that Walrus. It was the first time I met a character who worried all the time, just like me. It made me realize I wasn’t alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">One thing I truly loved about the book was Marisol’s friendship with Jada. They so have each other’s backs, though they are human. How difficult is it to write realistic friendships?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">If you’ve been fortunate enough to have wonderful friends, it’s not that difficult at all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Felix’s empathy for animals is both delightful and an amazing lesson in the book. As someone who is pretty sure the squirrel in her backyard understands her, inquiring minds want to know: do animals speak to you like they speak to Felix?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">If I’m being honest, I do most of the talking. Ha!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The illustrations are so good! Do you have a particular favorite?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">My favorite is the final illustration of Marisol in bed with all her stuffed animals. It’s such an accurate depiction of how I fell asleep when I was her age. I slept with a mountain of them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When will we get to read more Marisol? She is a delight!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Yes! Another book will be out next year. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Want to learn more about Erin and her books? Visit <a href="http://www.erinentradakelly.com" target="_blank">here!</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></h2>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-46341547801834992042022-08-22T01:30:00.001-07:002022-08-22T01:30:00.185-07:00Interview with Christyne Morrell, Author of TREX
<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoSIDJlr4tGMCQgFJmT_g4U0uEd3tF5Q4sxOvBv9tLORjiMaJtIecH2SUpSnikTUzOfUDODM5Iev1bz5RaooCJw5gmE3EFLYNHYaanwvtzU_b9zScVVvMCwSTDgOuUFiWo-sxnJSsG6MEsds_Ci7qufVONYYh0AvrbEztOInflp9Tnenskvqk6IdgLg/s500/trex.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoSIDJlr4tGMCQgFJmT_g4U0uEd3tF5Q4sxOvBv9tLORjiMaJtIecH2SUpSnikTUzOfUDODM5Iev1bz5RaooCJw5gmE3EFLYNHYaanwvtzU_b9zScVVvMCwSTDgOuUFiWo-sxnJSsG6MEsds_Ci7qufVONYYh0AvrbEztOInflp9Tnenskvqk6IdgLg/w265-h400/trex.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Those of you who are fans of Christyne's last book, KINGDOM OF SECRETS, are in for a treat! I had the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy and it is a PAGE-TURNER!</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">ABOUT THE BOOK</h3><p><br /></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Trex’s experimental brain implant saved his life—but it also made his life a lot harder. Now he shocks everything he touches. When his overprotective mother finally agrees to send him to a real school for sixth grade, Trex is determined to fit in.</span></p><p><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">He wasn’t counting on Mellie the Mouse. She lives in the creepiest house in Hopewell Hill, where she spends her time scowling, lurking, ignoring bullies, and training to be a spy. Mellie is convinced she saw lightning shoot from Trex’s fingertips, and she is Very Suspicious.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">And she should be . . . but not of Trex. Someone mysterious is lurking in the shadows . . . someone who knows a dangerous secret.</span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTYNE</span></h3><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q: First of all, I LOVED TREX! Can you share with our readers where the original idea came from? It is so good!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 10.733332633972168px;"> </span><span lang="EN">Thank you! This is a bit spoilery, but the idea came to me one night after a neighborhood party. I left early to put my daughter to bed and immediately fell asleep beside her. Being an introvert, all that socializing had worn me out! When people asked where I’d gone, my husband said I had to go inside and “recharge my batteries,” which got me thinking… what if I <i>literally</i> had to recharge my batteries? Then I took it a step further, envisioning a character who physically manifested the traits of an introvert. In addition to having to recharge, Trex is uncomfortable in social settings as a result of his condition, and because of his static shock, he keeps other people at a distance. The rest of the story came together from that initial spark (pun intended 😊). Needless to say, I’m so glad I ghosted that party! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q. The characters of Mellie and Trex are so real. How much pre-work did you have to do before writing the book to really <i>get</i> your characters?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 10.733332633972168px;"> </span><span lang="EN">I didn’t do much character pre-work, unless you count awful early drafts! I’m a plot-first writer, so I always start by making detailed, beat-by-beat outlines of what’s going to happen. I know the basics about my characters when I start drafting, but I don’t really <i>get </i>them until I’ve had a chance to spend time with them, which usually happens around the third or fourth draft. Then, in drafts six or seven, I layer in all the little details I’ve picked up along the way, which hopefully make the characters step off the page. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q. The multiple points of view — including some adults — is so well done and really adds to the plot twists. Was that always a decision from the get-go?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 10.733332633972168px;"> </span><span lang="EN">I’m a sucker for a multiple-POV novel (or a glutton for punishment), so yes, the three narrators were present from the beginning. It was challenging to juggle all those perspectives, but I wanted to examine the secrets people keep and the lies they tell (to themselves and to others). To do that, I had to get into the characters’ heads and let each of them have their say. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q. If someone asked me to describe the story, I’d say Mission-Impossible-Meets-Harriet-The-Spy, how would you describe it?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 10.733332633972168px;"> </span><span lang="EN">Ooh, I like that! I usually describe TREX as a sci-fi-adventure mystery, because it contains a little bit of everything. As I was writing it, I was reminded of the classic 80s movies of my youth, like <i>E.T.</i> and <i>Flight of the Navigator</i> - stories about outcasts with abilities being exploited by big corporations. Or, more recently, the series <i>Stranger Things</i>, with the appearance of a mysterious newcomer who has unexplained powers caused, again, by an evil corporation (but minus the terrifying demogorgon). I’d also compare it to my favorite books with unreliable narrators, like <i>Liar and Spy</i> by Rebecca Stead. So some combination of all those things!</span><span lang="EN" style="background-color: yellow;"> </span><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q. There are a LOT of trust issues in this book and I love that, because learning who to trust and not, and learning to forgive others’ mistakes is so important for kids to learn. Was that purposeful from the beginning or did it evolve as you wrote?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 10.733332633972168px;"> </span><span lang="EN">The trust element evolved organically as I wrote. From the beginning, I was focused on the twin ideas of secrets and lies, and I fleshed that out with three main characters who all have something <span>to hide. I was particularly fascinated by Mellie, who “collects” other people’s secrets while simultaneously denying her own. That central theme naturally lent itself to an examination of trust and how it’s gained and lost - how being dishonest, even to protect yourself or someone else, can be harmful. I agree that this is an important topic for kids at this age, especially as it plays out in the parent/child relationship. There’s a line in the book that I wrote early on and kept returning to, which I think captures this concept well: “[He] has every reason to hate me. For all the secrets. For all the lies. And worst of all, for not knowing the difference between the two.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q. Likewise, anxiety is addressed so well. We really feel for Mellie. How much research did you have to do to get that so right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A. A lot! First, I read everything I could find about anxiety in kids; then I tried to balance the more clinical perspective with first-hand experiences - both my own and those that were shared with me. At the root of this story is my own background with introversion/anxiety, and as I began to circulate early drafts to friends and beta readers, I discovered that my experiences were not uncommon. The number of people who revealed that they and/or their kids mistook anxiety for gastrointestinal issues, or could otherwise relate to Mellie, made me more determined to get this book into the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Interestingly, getting it “right” in terms of authenticity occasionally meant getting it wrong. At the beginning of the book, Mellie has a number of misconceptions about her anxiety and her medication. They’re corrected by the end of the story, but they reflect many of the personal experiences I heard. The same is true of the way Mellie’s parents approach her situation. They initially seek a quick fix for her anxiety but eventually realize that an honest discussion and acknowledgement of the issues are critical to a long-term solution. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q. Tell me Mellie and Trex are going to be life-long friends!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: 10.733332633972168px;"> </span><span lang="EN">Absolutely! Mellie insists upon it, and she <i>always </i>gets her way. I picture them bickering and playing Alphabetter* for their entire lives!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><i><span lang="EN">*Alphabetter is a game in which you take turns naming your favorite things in alphabetical order, with extra points for multiple words starting with the same letter (e.g., chocolate chip cookies). </span></i><span lang="EN"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Q. Your first book, KINGDOM OF SECRETS, was a fantasy. TREX is a mystery/adventure story. What’s next?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">A. I’m working on a ghost story, believe it or not. My agent tells me I have “range,” which I think is a kind way of saying I have a short attention span. I love to explore new genres and styles with each book, but I try to incorporate a common spirit of adventure, friendship, and self-actualization into each one. Oh, and plot twists - those are my favorite! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0cm;"><span lang="EN">Thanks Christyne! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR</span></h2><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Want to learn more about Christyne and her books? Visit <a href="https://christynewrites.com" target="_blank">here!</a></span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-47311217815381715222022-07-19T02:30:00.001-07:002022-07-19T02:30:00.195-07:00Interview with Mat Heagerty, author of Lumberjackula<h1 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFw9-O8vpS3r_ZrwxPGaZpkPl7Sh8w0Z9zHBhZuxA86uN5dOS-Mo5W68zifkJbE68SEOh23V_Qxz63V2jvqZtyUXWE4Ptxc2T6D-C0lLSMLc1edBL61ukAagTBoP0JabHw1IBfxRk-1hRUE4SBJ37Qe-Srr4MDbiVljpI-950UjHJvt4tkk_VFcLiwA/s425/lumberjackula-9781534482579-hr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFw9-O8vpS3r_ZrwxPGaZpkPl7Sh8w0Z9zHBhZuxA86uN5dOS-Mo5W68zifkJbE68SEOh23V_Qxz63V2jvqZtyUXWE4Ptxc2T6D-C0lLSMLc1edBL61ukAagTBoP0JabHw1IBfxRk-1hRUE4SBJ37Qe-Srr4MDbiVljpI-950UjHJvt4tkk_VFcLiwA/w264-h400/lumberjackula-9781534482579-hr.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">What's it about:</h3><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Jack is in a pickle. His lumberjack mom wants him to go to Mighty Log Lumberjack Prep to learn how to chop wood and wear flannel. His vampire dad wants him to go to Sorrow’s Gloom Vampire School to learn how to turn into a bat and drink blood-orange juice. And Jack has a secret: what he </span><span class="a-text-italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">really </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">wants to do is dance.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />When he finds out about Tip Tap Twinkle Toes Dance Academy from new friend Plenty, Jack feels he’s finally found the place where he can be his true self. But he’s too afraid of disappointing his family to tell them. What’s a half-lumberjack, half-vampire boy to do?<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />To summon the confidence to pursue his dreams, Jack will have to embrace every part of himself—his lumberjack toughness, his vampire eeriness, and most especially his awesome dance moves.</span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>The Interview:</b></span></h3><div><span style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>First of all, congrats about Lumberjackula! I loved this book so much!<span> </span>But before we get into specifics about the book, would love to know your path to becoming an author!<span> </span>How did you break into writing comics and graphic novels?<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p><b> </b></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Thank you so much, Wendy! Sam and I are so proud of how it turned out!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I’m dyslexic, and like many dyslexics, comics were a huge part of how I learned to read. The smaller text blocks and images to help with context clues where huge for me. After reading my first <i>Calvin and Hobbes</i>strips, I started making my own comics and never really stopped. There were some years where making comics took a backseat to being in punk bands, but it’s never not been a part of my life. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">A big moment early on for me was when Andrew Clements (author of <i>Frindle</i> and a ton of other great middle grade books) visited my second-grade class that his twin sons were in. Seeing a real person who was telling stories for a living was massively impactful. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">For almost a decade, while bartending, I self-published, crowd-funded, and unsuccessfully pitched a ton of books to every publisher in comics with open submissions. I eventually got a miniseries published by this now defuncted and loathed small comics press-- it was a huge learning experience. Biggest lesson of all was that, as corny as it sounds, I found my voice. In that, the miniseries I made was not my voice <i>at all</i>. I realized that I really enjoyed writing for younger readers and that most of the stories I loved were lighthearted and goofy. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">So, I made a light-hearted and goofy pitch for a middle grade graphic novel and submitted it to just one published, Oni Press (a publisher who put out some of my favorite books) and they took it! From there, the doorway inched open a bit and I’ve been trying to force it all the way open since, now luckily with the help of my amazing agent Maria Vicente. <span> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Is one genre easier than another, both to write and break into?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I feel like breaking in as a writer for either floppy monthly comics or graphic novels can both be equally soul-crushingly hard, hehe. As for me personally writing them, graphic novels are much, much easier. I like telling stories in big chunks with a beginning middle and end. The lack of pages and serialized structure of monthlies would be really hard for me, I think.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> <b> </b></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>How long does it usually take you to write a graphic novel? How much input do you get re: the illustrations?<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p><b> </b></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">It really depends on the project and how full my plate is with taking care of my young kids, but generally, I can have a book finished in about three months with my schedule. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">As for art input-- I’ve only made original books so far and not done any work-for-hire, so I’ve been lucky enough to have a say in picking everyone I’ve collaborated with. I’ll certainly write my ideas in a script and have some thoughts throughout the process of the book being illustrated, but I don’t get too involved because that’s not my job. I choose collaborators because I love what they do, so I try not to get in their way too much, hopefully!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Team Marvel or Team DC (or maybe just Team Mat?)</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Mat’s great for sure. He’s a nice dude. So, I’m Team Mat definitely, but I have lots of love for all comics! No one team for me! Marvel was a huge part of my childhood, specifically <i>X-Men</i> and <i>Spider-Man</i>, but DC was really big too with <i>Legion of Superheroes</i>, <i>Young Justice</i>, and <i>Batman: The Animated Series</i>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Where did the idea of Lumberjackula come from?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">It started with an idea I had for just a vampire in middle school called Backpackula. Then I just really liked the way that mash-up sounded, but the idea seemed too simple. So, I tried out others like Quarterbackula, Jetpackula, and Quackula, but they were either taken already or not fun enough for me. I landed on Lumberjackula and the visual just really made me laugh. The character for sure came before the story.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->One of my favourite things about this book is that even though Jack’s parents are trying not to pressure him into favouring their choices over the other parent’s, he still feels pressure to please them both. That’s a thing that every kid goes through. Why was that important to you to show that to your readers?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">When I was just starting Lumberjackula, I found a picture I had drawn when my wife was pregnant with our first kid. It was of what I thought my daughter would look like as an adult. Even though both my wife and I have always made it a priority to encourage our kids to be whoever they are, I realized I was still putting pressure on my daughter unknowingly. In the drawing, she dressed and looked like my wife pretty much and had a Star Wars shirt on and was holding a guitar. Even as well-meaning and innocent as that was, I realize if she saw the sketch, she would internalize that and think that’s what I want her to be. When the truth is, I want both my kids, or any kid, to be whoever they want to be. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">After that, I thought about how my big excitement when my kids express interest in drawing or music puts a pressure on them too. So, I really wanted to work out my thoughts on all that in the story, for young readers, but also hopefully for some parents reading along too. I hope a parent or two realizes, even if they aren’t forcing their kid to be on the football team, they can still be unknowingly pressuring them down a path they aren’t comfortable with.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Jack’s mom is a lumberjack, his dad a vampire, so clearly he is a product of a mixed marriage, an issue you handle with sensitivity and creativity in the story. Can you talk about whether that was a conscious decision from the get-go?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">First of, I’m so glad to hear you feel it was handled sensitively. It was for sure a major concern for me. Even though it’s a fantasy story, I see that the correlation is very easy to draw.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">When I started, everything was simply, I think Lumberjackula is fun to say and I wasn’t giving the idea of that he was the child of a mixed marriage much thought at all. But as the story shaped it became a very clearly part of everything. As I’m not a member of a mixed family, I made sure to share my work along the way with my friends and extended family that are to make sure I was handling everything with the proper respect and authenticity. My editors were also massively helpful with this too. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Also, I really tried more than anything to focus on Jack’s parent’s interests being different. Something I can relate to in my own family. While I have lots of crossover with my wife of course, there are some things we are both very passionate about that the other doesn’t have much interest in. So, I viewed Jack’s conflict a lot through that lens instead, if that makes sense? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Totally does!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><b>8.</b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b> <b> </b></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Jack has a special calling all of his own, one he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing with people, even though it fills him with joy. We all want to feel seen, even as we all want to belong. How hard was that to write? You did such a great job!</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Thank you so much! It wasn’t too hard to tap into at all. While there isn’t much that I’ve ever really felt I needed to hide, I certainly can relate to Jack’s anxiety and fear of disappointing people. I’ve struggled with confidence most of my life and have a pretty unhealthy need to be liked. Well, at least by folks I think highly of. So writing an nervous, insecure kid was all too easy for me!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Just as his family makes mistakes, so does Jack. Can you tell our readers about how you decided what and where to include those mistakes in the story?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">The mistakes Jack and his folks, and his grandparents all make just all seemed so natural for the plot to me. I think pretty much everyone has lied at one point or another to avoid difficult talks. Jack’s biggest mistakes—lying and his treatment of his new buddy Plenty—both just felt needed for conflict in the story. There’s one particular mistake in the third act, where Jack keeps up his lie even though it’s really obviously time to come clean. My editors suggested that in the last round of edits, and I’m so happy they did. I think it just felt there needed to be one last hurdle, the flow was off.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Finally, I am in LOVE with Jack’s world! Any chance of more books? <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Oh man, I really, really, really hope so! I have ideas for so many more books. I have a pitch for a sequel that should be going out any day now that I’m very proud of. Fingers and toes majorly crossed that our publisher is interested!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s next?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I think the next book to come out will be, a middle grade sports fantasy graphic novel I’m making with Lisa DuBois called <i>Indoor Kid</i>. It’s being published by Oni Press. The dates are moving still on a few books, so maybe something else might be out first. But besides that, I’m pitching and hoping folks let me make more books!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Thanks Mat! </b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">Thank you so much, Wendy! This was a lot of fun!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">Want to learn more about Mat? Go <a href="http://www.matheagerty.com" target="_blank">here!</a></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-4984185418808413222022-05-11T06:38:00.007-07:002022-05-11T06:41:00.819-07:00Interview with Bridget Hodder, Author of The Button Box<h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Author Interview: Bridget Hodder</b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">I'm a huge fan of Bridget, and absolutely adored her first book, The Rat Prince, so I jumped at the chance to read The Button Box, her latest middle grade novel with the genius who is Fawzia Gilani-Williams!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKvnNOaSFgmtn5WrKmTVnRJcuSVu6g0I7dfI9P6sGrO0nWzXRIchEvigHBFgtmW2f8IzR9ifViVa3Oj_Wte9OJciLXRmBWouHPxW6lpdb10UIFbBJ-lSNj89VQwxnb5RjGPtNkGz7JTJVniJOmvrw8OCy1ZYopxSQH_fT1dmXILL57acpLsL_enBzgw/s430/ratprince.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="301" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKvnNOaSFgmtn5WrKmTVnRJcuSVu6g0I7dfI9P6sGrO0nWzXRIchEvigHBFgtmW2f8IzR9ifViVa3Oj_Wte9OJciLXRmBWouHPxW6lpdb10UIFbBJ-lSNj89VQwxnb5RjGPtNkGz7JTJVniJOmvrw8OCy1ZYopxSQH_fT1dmXILL57acpLsL_enBzgw/s320/ratprince.png" width="224" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Let me tell you: the book does not disappoint! I adored all of the characters, and learning about the real history behind the story!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Qbirz_64d-GfmpfChNpGDzSOjlqu-4KgaoicR9ATa5ObxI8b9wS6awvwCy2L-eK3gE4d5WTuHTR2knbEff27Obg60JTBtSNDnXs0IvhGV2RNjLV04UPfFwt_5BKoYqTlzyrhsuqMtFRDTOX7N_qgc3RXeTwkzQvbxIuvR8NVVm2AW_3Np9BOCL8HA/s2560/buttonbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1792" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Qbirz_64d-GfmpfChNpGDzSOjlqu-4KgaoicR9ATa5ObxI8b9wS6awvwCy2L-eK3gE4d5WTuHTR2knbEff27Obg60JTBtSNDnXs0IvhGV2RNjLV04UPfFwt_5BKoYqTlzyrhsuqMtFRDTOX7N_qgc3RXeTwkzQvbxIuvR8NVVm2AW_3Np9BOCL8HA/w448-h640/buttonbox.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">About the Book</h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her Muslim best friend Nadeem are called hateful names at school, Ava's Granny Buena rummages in her closet and pulls out a glittering crystal button box. It's packed with buttons that generations of Ava's Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of Granny's mysterious cat Sheba, Ava and Nadeem discover that a button from the button box will take them back in time. Suddenly, they are in ancient Morocco, where Nadeem's ancestor, Prince Abdur Rahman, is running for his life. Can Ava and Nadeem help the prince escape to Spain and fulfill his destiny, creating a legendary Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Interview</h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Q1: First: hooray for a new book by you Bridget! But would love to know how you and the wonderful Fawzia Gilani-Williams came to work together?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Thank you, Wendy! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Fawzia and I have waited so long to bring The Button Box to the world! It's a cross-cultural tale of modern children --one Sephardic Jewish, one Muslim--who are magically transported by an antique family button into a shared ancient past, full of danger and challenges they must face with courage. The kids bring that courage with them back to the present, newly empowered to solve their own problems.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">To answer your question about how Fawzia and I became co-authors, I have to tell a little story. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">I met Joni Sussman, the head of Lerner Books' Kar-Ben imprint, at the Highlights Workshop for Jewish kidlit writers. The workshop featured an opportunity for authors to read aloud from their works in progress. After I read a few pages from my first draft of The Button Box, Joni told me she would be interested in acquiring the book for Kar-Ben. I was thrilled, but I told her the tale would be undergoing some major changes, first. I needed a Muslim co-author to make the book become what it truly needed to be: a celebration of the intertwined elements of the Sephardic Jewish and Muslim past, brought into the present through genuine modern perspectives from both cultural traditions.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Joni suggested Fawzia Gilani-Williams, who she'd worked with before on the classic "Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam"...and a beautiful partnership soon came into being. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Q2: Is co-authoring a book harder or easier than writing alone?<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><b> </b></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">I wouldn't say the writing process is necessarily harder when co-authoring, but it does take longer. To achieve the necessary balance of voices and material in the story, and to maintain a good working and personal relationship, much care and thought and extra time is required. You can't rush trust, and trust is the <i>sine qua non</i> of creating art together. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Working across several time zones, with Fawzia in the United Arab Emirates and me in the U.S., it took at least a day to get a response to every email or draft. We put in the "plus time" to make sure we were both okay with every change, and that neither of us felt under- or over-represented in the story. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">On the other hand, a co-authorship offers remarkable creative and emotional support! Each of us knows exactly what the other is experiencing. We're able to compare notes and back up each other's opinions. And when an edit comes that is difficult to execute, we can share the burden. Probably the best advice I can give if you want a great co-writing experience is to have Fawzia Gilani-Williams as your co-author.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Q3: The book begins with Jewish Ava and Muslim Nadeem being bullied in school because of their religions. How hard was that to write? It is such a painful experience.</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">It was hard, because we were channeling current distressing trends of ever more open and aggressive hate against Muslims and Jews in the U.S. But this theme was central to our purpose in writing the book: to support those children who experience harassment; to give them courage; and to provide empathy and modeling that can create allies among the readership. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">To that end, we strove to create the most classroom-friendly book possible, with a historical map, a cross-cultural glossary, definitions and extra resources in the back matter, to aid teachers and students alike as they search for more knowledge on the subjects we raise. The team at Lerner Books and Kar-Ben was simply amazing in how they made our vision come alive in the pages of The Button Box.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Q4: The use of the button box is such a lovely and powerful way to talk about the importance of honoring our ancestors traditions and experiences. Was it always a button box or did you have other options? And, did your family have one? </b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Oh, there was never any question...it was always going to be a Button Box. My mother and grandmother had button jars that I spent fascinated hours with in my childhood...and in my adulthood, too! I buy old button collections whenever I see a really good one at a thrift store or a swap meet and add the loveliest ones to my stash. It's amazing to see the craft of the handmade antique buttons, and the fine materials like mother-of-pearl, burled wood, shiny black jet and even genuine sea pearls.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Q5: I’d heard of Sephardic Jews, but knew very little about them, so I loved the history. I also loved how the story uses historical truths to show that our religious differences don’t have to divide us, but can in fact, can build new and wonderful traditions and beliefs if we’re open to that. Are other readers as surprised as I was by this amazing piece of history?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">They are! Fawzia and I are bowled over by the reaction we've gotten from readers. They are so eager to explore new, exciting eras of history, and our work provides a window into brand new worlds for them. That's one of the valuable things diverse books can provide so easily and so well: a sense of discovery and of wonder at the many precious life-ways our world holds...like shining magic buttons in the Button Box, just waiting for you to be open to experiencing them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Q6: What are you working on now?</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Fawzia and I have a picture book coming out next year, in 2023, called THE PROMISE! Once again, Joni Sussman at Kar-Ben is our editor. We just received the breathtaking sketches for the illustrations from artist Cinzia Battistel, and we're floored by their beauty. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">We can't wait to share it with you soon!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>THANK YOU, BRIDGET!</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Want to learn more about Bridget? Visit her <a href="http://bridgethodder.com" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Want to learn more about Fawzia Gilani-Williams? Visit her <a href="http://fawziagilani.com" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-77275653660295874532022-03-11T04:02:00.001-08:002022-03-11T04:02:00.207-08:00Review: The Nightmare Brigade, Vol. 1 by Franck Thilliez, Yomgui Dumont<h1 style="text-align: left;">The Nightmare Brigade is SUCH a cool book.</h1><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7WNOXcaPHUT-A6c5doQd1JGGxA-1Iz13KwsWwsFEbmSJ9ZJGziZ7734EHfVQRpafOlcY_HV-yEqWLmQrBlCCo2pfp1_B3G39MofmmzCOAdh9HYhVKu8TzT4nTkA-i8DCjr_hTH8vAnGfCTP5zNMqWwmYCg59r1YSv8AkpeIOYXYcp7TVBY1OsYPy1CA=s2560" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7WNOXcaPHUT-A6c5doQd1JGGxA-1Iz13KwsWwsFEbmSJ9ZJGziZ7734EHfVQRpafOlcY_HV-yEqWLmQrBlCCo2pfp1_B3G39MofmmzCOAdh9HYhVKu8TzT4nTkA-i8DCjr_hTH8vAnGfCTP5zNMqWwmYCg59r1YSv8AkpeIOYXYcp7TVBY1OsYPy1CA=w288-h400" width="288" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p>I love a good graphic novel and this one is GOOD, filled with twists and turns and lots of creepy and funny bits to keep the reader engaged. </p><p> </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Synopsis:</h2><p><br /></p><p>The Nightmare Brigade is a dream team lead by Professor Angus. With his two young sidekicks, 14-year-olds Esteban and Tristan, they have one goal: help people vanquish their worst nightmares. With unique skills, the team members can literally infiltrate their patient's nightmare to seek its root and destroy the cause. Things are shaken up however, when they meet young Sarah. The Brigade has a feeling they have seen her before... Before they solve the mystery, an insomniac starts invading other people's dreams. How does he do it and how can he be stopped?</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">About the Author and Illustrator:</h2><p><br /></p><p>Frank Thilliez is the author of fifteen crime novels, and a screenwriter. </p><p>Yomgui Dumont's worked in cartoons, multimedia, advertising, and the press, and has published more than twenty graphic novels and teen novels.</p><p>The book was released first in France and was very successful.</p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">My thoughts:</h2><div><br /></div><div>As I said, this one is good. Esteban and Tristan are likeable characters who derive a lot of satisfaction from helping others. At school they may be bullied, but in the dream world, they're able to be heroes, which is a really interesting premise.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also liked that Esteban is in a wheelchair in real life and how that plays into the choices he makes and how he behaves in the dreams.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for Professor Angus, let's just say this: the guy is super mysterious, and readers are often left wondering about his (and other characters') motives, which makes this a great mystery.</div><div><br /></div><div>And given that this is the first book in the series — Part Two Releases in June — the author leaves us with a real cliffhanger, which I love.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kids and adults alike are going to eat this up, and there is lots of room here for MANY stories.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Want to Learn More?</div><div><br /></div><div>Visit<a href="https://papercutz.com/nightmare-2"> here.</a></div>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-61069878563224466322022-02-23T05:30:00.046-08:002022-02-23T05:30:00.214-08:00Coming of Age: 13 B'nai Mitzvah Stories + Interview<p>As a Jewish author I was excited to see a book aimed at kids during the time of their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs (the ceremony in which a Jewish child enters into adulthood). It's an exciting and sometimes confusing time in a young Jewish individual's life. I would have loved to have had a book like this to see myself in during that time in my life. <br /></p><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyJpA4aBRI1Pj0KaoACVTo_v3TmCccjvh1JOuR7nd4o9KCjzRbWCjTFW7rsL3gPOkHySWwyvNXH3WGp5a8MyqJpLtABlD-5Tc7BC0wCLdiQzQN-lniSiglgwmKdCR5X8GAoCwziYH7F5x02L5R1yhbosJceWoWeuz-KmF2DQ-nHWl87Nd-fQ5qhPMo=s400" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyJpA4aBRI1Pj0KaoACVTo_v3TmCccjvh1JOuR7nd4o9KCjzRbWCjTFW7rsL3gPOkHySWwyvNXH3WGp5a8MyqJpLtABlD-5Tc7BC0wCLdiQzQN-lniSiglgwmKdCR5X8GAoCwziYH7F5x02L5R1yhbosJceWoWeuz-KmF2DQ-nHWl87Nd-fQ5qhPMo=s320" width="220" /></a></div>Coming of Age: 13 B'nai Mitzvah Stories is filled with vignettes about B'nai Mitzvahs and no two are alike. It covers everything from international experiences, pandemic bnai mitzvahs, exploring crushes, time travel, and even the Jewish customs on planet Latke with a race full of octopus-like aliens. And each story captures the range of emotions surrounding the important event in many Jewish children's lives as they are called to the Torah and transition into adulthood. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>
Whether you're Jewish or not, this is a great resource to help kids
understand B'nai Mitzvahs in a variety of fun and interesting ways.
</div><div><br /></div><div>I have the pleasure of talking with one of the authors Nancy Krulik, about the anthology and some of the aspects of her story, The Contest.<br /></div><div dir="auto"><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Nancy it's so nice to chat with you today about Coming of Age: 13 B'nai Mitzvah stories.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div dir="auto"><b>Tell Middle Grade Minded readers a little bit about Coming of Age: 13 B'nai Mitzvah Stories and more specifically what your story is about.</b></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Coming of Age: 13 B’nai
Mitzvah Stories</i><span> is a collection of stories about Jewish teenagers who are each
havng having one of the most monumental and meaningful experiences of their
lives—their bar or bat mitzvah. Some of the stories are funny, some are serious,
and some are a little of both. Some take place in the past, some in the present
day, and one even takes place in outer space. The one thing all the tales have
in common is that they represent the true emotions 13-year-old Jewish kids feel.
It is very much a book of shared experiences.
My particular story, T”he Contest,” is about a boy who has a very
difficult time sitting still in synagogue.
He also has a whole lot of <i>b’nai mitzvah</i> to attend. So, to make
things a little more interesting, he and his friends come up with a contest to see
who can be the first one to be asked by the ushers to leave services.</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> </span></div><div><b>How did you come up with the idea for your story? Have you ever been kicked out of synagogue before?</b><br /></div><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I was a bit of a chatterbox as a kid (I still am, but I can control
myself a little better now). I was
definitely asked to leave services from time to time. But the whole concept of
an actual contest is actually my son’s experience. The first line of the story
is, in fact, the first line of his bar mitzvah speech: </span><span>“<i>Shabbat
Shalom</i>. Welcome to my Bar Mitzvah. Today I promise to make it all the way
through the service without getting asked to leave the sanctuary.” I was pretty mortified by that line when I
first heard it, but the rabbi thought it was hilarious. Turns out the rabbi had
a lot of trouble sitting still in synagogue when he was a kid as well. </span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> </span></div><div dir="auto"><b>How did you get involved in this book?<br /></b><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">I met Jonathan Rosen, one
of the editors/authors of the collection, on a trip to Israel sponsored by PJ
Library. We traveled with a group of children’s authors, which was a remarkable
experience. To see Jerusalem with people who are like-minded and care about the
same things I do was very important to me. I’d been to Israel before, but never
in this type of setting. I made lifelong friends, and Jonathan was one of them.
We had all been thinking of ways to reach out to Jewish kids and Jonathan,
along with Henry Herz, came up with <i>Coming of Age</i>. When they asked me to
be part of a project as important as this one, I jumped at the chance. </span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><b>What does it mean to you to be a part of a book that celebrates coming of age in Judaism?</b></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I think it’s incredibly
important for Jewish kids to see themselves in literature. It’s important for
all kids to feel represented in the culture, particularly in books. I think it’s also important for people of
other faiths to understand what the experience is all about. I think the more
we read about the lives and traditions of one another, the less hatred there
will be in the world. Let’s face it, today’s 13-year-olds will be tomorrow’s
leaders. So why not help them have pride in themselves and understanding for one
another?</span><span></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><b>What do you hope readers get from this collection of stories?</b></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I hope they laugh, and I hope they learn. As for Jewish readers in
particular, I hope they take great pride in what they will have accomplished
when they stand up at the bimah and read from the Torah. It takes a lot of work
and a lot of guts to get up there in front of friends, family, and the
congregation.</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div><div><b>Is there anything else you'd like to share with readers about this story or your other work?</b></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span>“The Contest” is actually the first Jewish story I ever wrote, and
it has inspired me to play around with other ideas based on Jewish
protagonists. Still, anyone who knows my books knows that I write funny. It’s
just my thing. So although The Contest does take a serious turn, I kept it
funny. Kids who have read my <i>Katie
Kazoo Switcheroo</i>, <i>George Brown Class Clown</i> or <i>Princess Pulverizer</i>
series know no one loves putting a good burp into a story more than I do. Kids who read “The Contest” will not be
disappointed.</span></span><b> <br /></b></div></div></div>Jamie Krakoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16808802721340647047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-63876331050691846262022-02-15T02:00:00.004-08:002022-03-02T03:25:12.074-08:00<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></h2><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span><span> Hooray! Author Elly Swartz has a new book out today!</span></span></h1><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzvdWFgT2LwL--hUoi3mYHxY_OhhK7rsZIbbiZ9_n1H49qHhzS8UC30-J1q5GtESmbpNQmGtNIs6G6-M7uqhT_H1VJ1YkLAkfmeb0WNlKIouaqkLKulnCtP-TCIcvIKeVJ6D8piCy7wsN_N_XEnWzAfJspClfnhHCquoI5CwAMb3cNwDBoC8glsKvptQ=s2548" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2548" data-original-width="1689" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzvdWFgT2LwL--hUoi3mYHxY_OhhK7rsZIbbiZ9_n1H49qHhzS8UC30-J1q5GtESmbpNQmGtNIs6G6-M7uqhT_H1VJ1YkLAkfmeb0WNlKIouaqkLKulnCtP-TCIcvIKeVJ6D8piCy7wsN_N_XEnWzAfJspClfnhHCquoI5CwAMb3cNwDBoC8glsKvptQ=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span></span></div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span> <span> </span></span>Elly is one of my favourite middle grade authors, so I jumped at a chance to read an advance copy of her latest books and ask her all kinds of questions!</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span><span><span><span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; text-indent: -18pt;">But first, a little information about the book:</span></h3><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700;">When Autumn becomes the secret voice of the advice column in her middle school newspaper she is faced with a dilemma--can she give fair advice to everyone, including her friends, while keeping her identity a secret?</span></p><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;">Starting Middle School is rough for Autumn after her one and only BFF moves to California. Uncertain and anxious, she struggles to connect with her new classmates. The two potential friends she meets could not be more different: bold Logan who has big ideas and quiet Cooper who's a bit mysterious. But Autumn has a dilemma: what do you do when the new friends you make don't like each other? </span><div><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-indent: -18pt;">When Autumn is picked to be the secret voice of the Dear Student letters in the Hillview newspaper, she finds herself smack in the middle of a problem with Logan and Cooper on opposite sides. But before Autumn can figure out what to do, the unthinkable happens. Her secret identity as Dear Student is threatened. Now, it's time for Autumn to find her voice, her courage, and follow her heart, even when it's divided.</span></div><div><div style="text-indent: -24px;"><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span face="Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f1111;"><span style="background-color: caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-size: large;">The interview!</span></span></h2><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span> <span> </span></span>Hi Elly - Congratulations on DEAR STUDENT, which is such a heartwarming story! One of the things that I really loved about this book is that almost nothing in this story is black and white, from Autumn’s family situation to her friendship with Logan and Cooper, to even the animal testing issue. Can you talk about your decision to dive headfirst in gray areas?</span></b></p></div></blockquote><div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I love this question. The gray matter was intentional. I feel my readers are the age when you start realizing the world is not neat. It is not all right or all wrong, all good or all bad. There is this middle ground you need to wade through and decipher. This space is blurry. And navigating it really pushes you to find your heart, your voice, and what matters to you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Autumn uses a technique called Fearless Fred when she is especially in need of some bravery - do you have similar techniques?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ha! I guess I haven’t thought about it that intentionally before, but I suppose Autumn’s Fearless Fred came from me. Not just me, the author, but me, the person. I do feel there are times I need to dig deep with purpose and find the part of me that fear can boss around. The part of me that’s bigger than my worry. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">We all have fears and worries and things that make us anxious. It’s what we do about it in those moments. And for me, like Autumn, I try to find my Fearless Fred.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZE44_5PPsmqVaczMORUACAWFPF7zR-v9659wELaYZt2TGql00bhypTNkIZYX7njiwNbn2Fv9ND7Jd2gWbnM8gly_iZUWC_uTjgaaENNkLnNbZPspWv7IplsXBkUQjk6YloqGW9ZKDfJwMZzoxpSNENNLPG2ZP0N1BS2qjxqnzaEuIXYSdcocs1AIeLA=s224" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="224" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZE44_5PPsmqVaczMORUACAWFPF7zR-v9659wELaYZt2TGql00bhypTNkIZYX7njiwNbn2Fv9ND7Jd2gWbnM8gly_iZUWC_uTjgaaENNkLnNbZPspWv7IplsXBkUQjk6YloqGW9ZKDfJwMZzoxpSNENNLPG2ZP0N1BS2qjxqnzaEuIXYSdcocs1AIeLA" width="224" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><b>3. One thing that I really love about this book is that it addresses full on the fact that most people think other people have it more together than they do. Autumn starts to realize this when she begins to write the advice column. Was this really important to you, to help kids see that their assumptions may be wrong.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Yes! Kids today often only see the shiny penny version of their friend’s lives on Snap Chat or TikTok. They see the manicured moments and curated pictures. They don’t see what’s underneath. They don’t see that we all have fears and worries. That we all are working on something. So I wanted to explore this in <i>Dear Student</i>. Take Autumn, for example, she assumes Logan is brave and fearless because she is popular and involved in many activities at school. When, in actuality, Logan doesn’t feel brave or fearless. Her popularity and involvement stems from a place of wanting to fill a void left by her mom’s other commitments. When Autumn realizes this, she is better able to empathize and understand. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">That’s the magic of pealing back the layers and getting rid of assumptions. It allows us to take the perspective of others, helps minimize misunderstandings, and allows space for empathy.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">In school visits, I often share this idea with an activity called, 5 Reasons Why. It goes like this, one’s first conclusion is not always the correct one! Challenge yourself to move beyond your first assumption by coming up with five different reasons why a person might:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="border: none; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Be late for school.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="border: none; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Not attend the school dance<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="border: none; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Eat lunch alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="border: none; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 72pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Get in fights.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 72pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s amazing how the empathy and understanding grows as kids are encouraged to look beyond their initial assumptions. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><b>4. An interesting part of this book is that several of the parents are pursuing causes and self-actualization that may not be ideal or even good for their children. Can you talk about the decision to include such complicated narratives?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">You truly picked up on all the things that touched my heart as I wrote. This decision harkens back to the first question you asked about the gray matter. I wanted to show that not every decision is right or wrong, sometimes it truly is both. For instance, Autumn’s dad is doing something really noble, volunteering for the Peace Corps, and Logan’s mom is doing something incredibly important, fighting for women and girls’ rights everywhere. The world needs people like them, but so do Logan and Autumn. And when I wrote these characters, I respected them as people, but was mad at them as parents. Again, nothing is all one thing. It’s all a delicate balance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />5. At the end of the book, we don’t know that everything will work out for Autumn. How important was it for you to leave some things dangling?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hope and authenticity drove the end of this story. I wanted the conclusion to be hopeful. Autumn not only found, but used her voice to share her heart. To me, that was everything. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">As for her friendship with Logan and her temporary house with no lilac bushes, time will tell. It felt authentic to leave some things unresolved. After all, that’s real life. We don’t know how it all turns out. But we can be hopeful!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />6. Love Elly books! What’s next????<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">You are so sweet. Thank you. That means so much to me. And I am happy to share there is more on the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">I have another middle grade novel entitled, HIDDEN TRUTHS, coming out in 2023 with Random House. HIDDEN TRUTHS is a story told in dual pov between best friends Danielle – a star baseball player – and Eric – her forgetful, but kind, goofy, crossword-loving neighbor. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">Their friendship has begun to shift when a terrible accident happens, accelerating their rift. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">At its heart, this story asks how far you’d go to keep a promise to a friend. And if forgiveness can really heal the hurt that comes when trust is broken. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt 36pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">I’m also working on a picture book and starting a new middle grade that I am bursting with excitement to write.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;">Lots more to come. Woohoo!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; padding: 0cm;">Want to learn more about Elly? Visit her <a href="https://ellyswartz.com" target="_blank">website!</a></span></p></div>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-6316886504309131652022-01-07T02:12:00.001-08:002022-01-07T02:12:00.189-08:00Interview with THE LAST ADVENTURE author, RYAN DALTON<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy New Year!</span></h2><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So excited to share a great interview I did with Ryan Dalton, author of THE LAST ADVENTURE, which comes out February 1st!</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsX_egm3M-9iuOVxBK3Hgxjf3gaNR_s-cX87T6KbUMFZpSDbPdVNvIMaGrWNMY4UZD0yKt7ZcvfnZMW3pXiYWjaLK1IjXNxVTiSjluDWUQk4kntMJaCz6wxngqtgpFpgnHr1NTMmfVw7EE4W26gMq5TybQ7EwLcvCB4J3tGXkeIYRklnOTUVovtzOSFw=s2560" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1796" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsX_egm3M-9iuOVxBK3Hgxjf3gaNR_s-cX87T6KbUMFZpSDbPdVNvIMaGrWNMY4UZD0yKt7ZcvfnZMW3pXiYWjaLK1IjXNxVTiSjluDWUQk4kntMJaCz6wxngqtgpFpgnHr1NTMmfVw7EE4W26gMq5TybQ7EwLcvCB4J3tGXkeIYRklnOTUVovtzOSFw=w281-h400" width="281" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">About the Book: </span></h3><p><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">When Archie's beloved grandpa is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Archie desperately wants to slow the progression of his grandpa's memory loss.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Using Grandpa's old journal entries as inspiration, he creates shared role-playing fantasies with epic quests for them to tackle together―allowing Grandpa to live in the present and stay in touch with his fading memories. But as Grandpa's condition gradually worsens, Archie must come to terms with what's happening to his hero. The limits of the fantasies, revelations about Grandpa's past, and a school project about the future force Archie to grapple with what it truly means to live a life worth remembering.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Interview:</span></h3><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="section" style="background-color:"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">1) The relationship between Archie and his grandfather is absolutely beautiful, but what I really loved was that they played together. I’ve never seen that in a MG novel before but it is so awesome! What inspired that choice and did you have a similar relationship with any of your grandparents?</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">I didn’t fully realize it until I’d completed </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">This Last Adventure</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">, but I’m drawn to stories that include multi-generational relationships. You get to experience the di</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">ff</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">erences in characters that grew up in very di</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">ff</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">erent eras, yet the benefits of a familial bond that provides an underlying security, even when there’s conflict between the characters. There’s also a level of vulnerability that families can have with each other, something deeper than with other characters, and I love writing scenes with lots of words and powerful emotions flying around. I never lived in the same house with my grandparents, so we didn’t have the daily connection that Archie gets to have with Grandpa, but I did enjoy the time I got to spend with them. It was especially fun when personality traits of their younger selves would peek through and I would get a glimpse of playfulness.</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">2) Archie and his mom are dealing with A LOT. And in very di</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">ff</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">erent ways. Can you talk about the choices you made in that relationship?</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">From the start, I wanted to establish that they were a team with a deep, unbreakable bond, but now that bond was going to be tested and changed in ways they never expected. I knew that was going to cause conflicts because they would struggle at times to understand each other. There would be layers of challenges because, in addition to dealing day-to-day with Grandpa’s condition, they also had their own ways of coping with the emotional toll (some healthy and some not so healthy). So I had to spend a lot of time with them before writing, coming to understand what Archie and Penny would do and why. Then there had to be a path that led to them understanding each other better, which meant there would have to be tough conversations about di</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">ffi</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">cult feelings. I try to feel the emotions I’m writing about in the moment as deeply as possible, wanting them to leap o</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">ff </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">the page as strongly as possible. So those deep interpersonal scenes can be exhausting to write, but they’re also incredibly rewarding.</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">3) A universal longing for all of us is that we are remembered. But Archie’s grandfather is haunted by things he’d rather forget. And yet he makes a brave choice which in turns encourages Archie to be brave. Both acts of bravery could have negative repercussions. Why did you want to to frame bravery the way you did? (and bravo by the way!)</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">I wanted to show that bravery is not dependent on the outcome. Through his own experiences, Grandpa had learned that taking the leap is the important thing. It carries its own reward. So he wanted to teach Archie to go through life unafraid of taking </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">chances, of reaching as high as he could for what he really wanted, knowing that he would be okay even if he fell short or didn’t always get what he wanted. From there, my goal was to show Archie doing exactly that and receiving mixed results – some successes and some failures – and seeing for himself that what Grandpa taught him was true.</span></p></div></div></div></div><div class="page" title="Page 2"><div class="section" style="background-color:"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">(I’m really glad you enjoyed that. It’s one of my favorite parts.)</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">4) Sometimes, we choose to carry burdens by ourselves, how does that manifest in your characters and what do you want your readers to take away from those choices?</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">In real life, when we try to carry heavy burdens by ourselves, that often doesn’t work out too well. Yet that’s usually the first thing people try to do. These characters needed to learn the same thing, which meant at first they’d have to try handling problems on their own and then experience the repercussions. It’s only when they start relying on each other, learning how to act like a team again, that things begin to improve.</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">5) If you could go back in time (or perhaps now!), what would you loved to ask your grandparents?</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">I would want to hear about the most treasured adventures they had in their life, memories they look back on with the deepest joy. A long life carries many hidden depths, and I’d love to hear the stories they haven’t told in many years.</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">6) What’s next?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">While preparing for publication of </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">This Last Adventure</span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">, I wrote another middle grade book that we’re currently taking to various publishing houses. In February, I’ll begin writing my next book – something I can’t talk about in detail yet but am so excited to begin. I have so many stories floating around in my head, just waiting to be written, so I hope to be publishing books in a variety of genres for many years to come. Stay tuned!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">Guys, THE LAST ADVENTURE is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it as a great jumping off point for kids to connect with their grandparents!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RYAN DALTON OR CONNECT WITH HIM ON SOCIAL MEDIA? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12pt;">VISIT </span><a href="https://www.ryandaltonwrites.com" target="_blank">HIS WEBSITE</a>!</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks for the great interview Ryan!</span></b></h3></div></div></div></div>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-2553473407580951722021-10-01T09:29:00.002-07:002021-10-01T09:29:37.652-07:005 Spooky Books for Middle Grade Readers!<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Halloween is just around the corner. Okay, I know it's only Oct 1, but the countdown to spook night, candied apples, and carved pumpkins has officially begun. What better way to launch the Halloween season than to curl up with a frightful book? Here's a few to get you (and your middle grade readers) started!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Locked-Room-Ghost-Story/dp/035809755X/ref=asc_df_035809755X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366402676790&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-816200347411&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=77768497898&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366402676790&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-816200347411" target="_blank">The Girl in the Locked Room - a Ghost Story</a></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Bhs1Gu9_LSKUruHKY-6tiPxdvsAImYWJ3VAA4-1Qeunn2CDEcC1s-JmSvBQLRXsiMx3SuYOl_A0WhEzdDuGIqva0FDGJBjp8nTl6pNIj00LpCeX8j9qYNLO6YRTv_T9HYc0Hq5F1SFYc/s499/41WJWgDSr3L._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Bhs1Gu9_LSKUruHKY-6tiPxdvsAImYWJ3VAA4-1Qeunn2CDEcC1s-JmSvBQLRXsiMx3SuYOl_A0WhEzdDuGIqva0FDGJBjp8nTl6pNIj00LpCeX8j9qYNLO6YRTv_T9HYc0Hq5F1SFYc/s320/41WJWgDSr3L._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="214" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When Jules and her family move into an old, abandoned house, she discovers a locked room and sees a pale, ghostly face peering from its windows. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jules embarks on a mysterious quest to open the locked door and change the fate of the family who lived in the house a century before.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"This gentle paranormal mystery is perfect for young readers."-<i>Booklist</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><h2></h2><h2><a href="https://www.amazon.com/World-Full-Spooky-Stories/dp/0711241481/ref=asc_df_0711241481/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366402676790&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-696927247884&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=77768497898&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366402676790&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-696927247884" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A World Full of Spooky Stories: Tales to Make Your Spine Tingle</span></a></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQP1WozhrX-RCD3OHYbpyFBimD6S2VUoL8RutEbmWPHk-eE_BOaL8dllSdvb1XMQovKdJ6j3DytAHV6DcK3KdcIyT7k9decBjBENOTyV9V1ln-lfHduppzBq5me9B2g7OyIiQ-98e9BG2/s500/51hsN0nFVzL._SX431_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="433" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQP1WozhrX-RCD3OHYbpyFBimD6S2VUoL8RutEbmWPHk-eE_BOaL8dllSdvb1XMQovKdJ6j3DytAHV6DcK3KdcIyT7k9decBjBENOTyV9V1ln-lfHduppzBq5me9B2g7OyIiQ-98e9BG2/s320/51hsN0nFVzL._SX431_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="277" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />This spine-chilling anthology gathers spooky stories from all over the world. Read about the bewitching Queen of the Faeries, the terrifying Baba Yaga, Father Death, and more.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amazon Review: "My 2 elementary age kids love this book. The stories are spooky and I think that's exactly what keeps their attention. It's also very nice to have a variety of new stories from different cultures that were lessen known. Some of the stories can be a bit scary, so I would not recommend it for 6 yrs old or younger." </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Black-Hollow-Lane/dp/1492691542/ref=asc_df_1492691542/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416901796984&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-885616869822&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=94182731896&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416901796984&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-885616869822" target="_blank">The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane</a></span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzBc2rpmvGTir944owcuXJh7Nuir9N2F7wQO3-oAikMnX0sX6bFSnFjxhHfHmT00Q1aClENxCK9RQzjoToDkBVGT20Dd4bi_4DTjFCTi7xa2-Yi_taBh8gRyMFpIDCXAZOBln3kn3YJYs/s499/51nq4A%252BElIL._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzBc2rpmvGTir944owcuXJh7Nuir9N2F7wQO3-oAikMnX0sX6bFSnFjxhHfHmT00Q1aClENxCK9RQzjoToDkBVGT20Dd4bi_4DTjFCTi7xa2-Yi_taBh8gRyMFpIDCXAZOBln3kn3YJYs/s320/51nq4A%252BElIL._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="208" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When twelve-year-old Emmy is shipped off to a prestigious British boarding school, she encounters a lot more than tea and crumpets. She discovers a box of mysterious medallions, strange symbols etched into walls, and a secret society: The Order of Black Hollow Lane.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And all of it seems linked to the disappearance of Emmy's long-lost Dad.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amazon Review: "By cleverly intertwining history into the narrative, Julia Nobel has crafted a page-turning mystery in which a charming cast whose true-to-life interactions make them feel real investigates a secret society whose menace is made worse because it could rationally exist."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Greystone-Secrets-Margaret-Peterson-Haddix/dp/0062838385/ref=asc_df_0062838385/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416662155241&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-891287636137&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=95590145444&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416662155241&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17051011101370430905&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026580&hvtargid=pla-891287636137" target="_blank">Greystone Secrets #1: The Strangers</a></span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXU3y5AiIqVOoZ_zBXynhcy0g0FRBihIWW1-qLmVsmBQAfLx__gZ1WTs5I0tIFgM_6i4v8Vd4uk4PMvenM0fF7qzgdizBfI08hgCLWf7w0X45-jS9NDF1nS63nmIAg0dtnLWurNLuIWSFc/s499/51CoqTurz6L._SX334_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXU3y5AiIqVOoZ_zBXynhcy0g0FRBihIWW1-qLmVsmBQAfLx__gZ1WTs5I0tIFgM_6i4v8Vd4uk4PMvenM0fF7qzgdizBfI08hgCLWf7w0X45-jS9NDF1nS63nmIAg0dtnLWurNLuIWSFc/s320/51CoqTurz6L._SX334_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="215" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In this thrilling series opener, the three Greystone children learn of a kidnapping. The only thing is, the children kidnapped have their same first and middle names and birthdates, and other strange similarities. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When the Greystones try to investigate their world is turned upside down. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"A secret-stacked, thrilling series opener about perception, personal memories, and the idiosyncrasies that form individual identities." - <i>Publishers Weekly, starred review</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Bestselling Haddix launches a new middle-grade series that blends adventure and sf elements into an engrossing mystery. The kidnapping alone could have made a compelling mystery, but Haddix throws in secret rooms, alternate realities, and a cliff-hanger ending to raise the stakes and delight fans new and old.” <i>- Booklist</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VGM9T1N/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">The Ghost Collector</a></b></span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U249JBbFrpaonDNYR_3s4bKqIk8gDE-FhClgM6sJQUIwhA7yNCnxcj9BwXpisRGYDgRPRwGAy5dG3vvS_qIHzF4151tRHv_7Mf7KBQztPQsfYHxqxxyX4IGa2eVWFG4HWvncTvinxw0d/s499/The+Ghost+COllector.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="367" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U249JBbFrpaonDNYR_3s4bKqIk8gDE-FhClgM6sJQUIwhA7yNCnxcj9BwXpisRGYDgRPRwGAy5dG3vvS_qIHzF4151tRHv_7Mf7KBQztPQsfYHxqxxyX4IGa2eVWFG4HWvncTvinxw0d/s320/The+Ghost+COllector.jpg" width="235" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This tender story, steeped in Cree folklore, features Shelly, who has a special role with ghosts, like all the women in her family. She helps those who are stuck transition on to the next life. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But when her mother dies, she starts hoarding ghosts in her room instead. But no matter how many she hoards, she still hasn't found the one that matters most to her.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Perfectly balances suspense and the supernatural . . . [A] powerful and moving story about coming to terms with the death of a loved one. It’s an auspicious debut that is sure to delight middle-grade readers.” -<i> The Globe and Mail, 08/25/19</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Poignantly haunting.” -<i> The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 09/19</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">These books will be a treat as we move into the cozy days and longer nights of fall! </span></p>R. H. Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14929737631773597942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-329196721563127352021-07-23T08:00:00.001-07:002021-07-23T08:00:00.226-07:005 Middle Grade Summer Reads You Don't Want to Miss!<p>Summer is in full swing, with afternoons spent in backyard hammocks or whiled away on road trips. Whatever the choice of your summer time, be sure to tuck a few of these great middle grade reads into your kid's backpack - or even your own!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheh_WWK3fgrId6ea2rs-rKUTSTfkk0kHTOPvJsp5kWnjLz4lj5rjQbJCDXrubKxAkxIS6xE4kY-ZgirsFsTmJAjOd0Hmj3Wx6krCDdR1peAAtDwMIVbWp_9rxkiEBaLvaFoUYETgyHIE3B/s450/9780593206973.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheh_WWK3fgrId6ea2rs-rKUTSTfkk0kHTOPvJsp5kWnjLz4lj5rjQbJCDXrubKxAkxIS6xE4kY-ZgirsFsTmJAjOd0Hmj3Wx6krCDdR1peAAtDwMIVbWp_9rxkiEBaLvaFoUYETgyHIE3B/w133-h200/9780593206973.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Protagonist Kiki Kallira is sure to thrill fans of adventure, art, and mythology in this action-packed novel. Readers will be drawn into this entertaining story within moments...and may even find themselves reaching for their own sketchbooks. This book is a great springboard for imagination! Buy <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/658409/kiki-kallira-breaks-a-kingdom-by-sangu-mandanna/" target="_blank">Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom </a>by Sangu Mandanna <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kallira-Breaks-Kingdom-Sangu-Mandanna-ebook/dp/B08KSPY9YV" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJb8SGQ56Xt9Wg8Msl14B76DVBKW0gUsuzLPMWALOlQPwbzyOGLwAU6XAg2gmGsoWX9O91SiIGgQ5XxIQhLxN92nYIHOTsWFx6reBh3Tj3DwXIw1xf9S3wyeWKJKksAn4HBPYWftfMuxg/s450/9781524715700.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="297" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJb8SGQ56Xt9Wg8Msl14B76DVBKW0gUsuzLPMWALOlQPwbzyOGLwAU6XAg2gmGsoWX9O91SiIGgQ5XxIQhLxN92nYIHOTsWFx6reBh3Tj3DwXIw1xf9S3wyeWKJKksAn4HBPYWftfMuxg/w132-h200/9781524715700.jpeg" width="132" /></a></div><br /><p>Tae Keller weaves an enchanting story in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44901877-when-you-trap-a-tiger" target="_blank">When You Trap a Tiger,</a> incorporating the wonder of Korean folk tales. When a tiger from one of the tales comes to life, her main character, Lily must unravel a secret family history and discover if she has the courage to face the tiger. Winner of the 2021 Newbery Medal. Available <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-You-Trap-Tiger-Keller/dp/1524715700" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimM8v5DPMjYWRvC3HNCMWf6TZ5rVZfOwl7ir4DFTSIN6E94dEsClP5tXj6nI32SeLzkLJ15BtNewehANsB03HdEqa_H0zXLiGHsOtLWqySM29quJ6yso2su-MJklJh27oTFobiAYRBEPv/s998/The-Kate-in-Between.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimM8v5DPMjYWRvC3HNCMWf6TZ5rVZfOwl7ir4DFTSIN6E94dEsClP5tXj6nI32SeLzkLJ15BtNewehANsB03HdEqa_H0zXLiGHsOtLWqySM29quJ6yso2su-MJklJh27oTFobiAYRBEPv/w136-h200/The-Kate-in-Between.jpg.webp" width="136" /></a></div><br /><p>Looking for a complex, riveting tale? <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55004096-the-kate-in-between" target="_blank">The Kate in Between</a> by Claire Swinarski may just fit the bill. Kate finds herself torn between her best friend, Haddie, and her newfound acceptance in the popular group. This book tackles issues of friendship, bullying, honesty, and guilt. Available <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Between-Claire-Swinarski/dp/0062912704" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMg99gtWXDLvutEpH4mskJyK8EG-IwKFSMgLigBwSJm2zg4SoRFqdsBaX_RI8fzTOIE8f-3oSuIU9xg7RDjwFL53kNZLrdMJz9PSEqS6OJWLcNcAQxUxRgVFGOcRf3mACqlHP7NcT3CLV8/s998/clues-to-the-universe-by-christina-Li.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="678" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMg99gtWXDLvutEpH4mskJyK8EG-IwKFSMgLigBwSJm2zg4SoRFqdsBaX_RI8fzTOIE8f-3oSuIU9xg7RDjwFL53kNZLrdMJz9PSEqS6OJWLcNcAQxUxRgVFGOcRf3mACqlHP7NcT3CLV8/w136-h200/clues-to-the-universe-by-christina-Li.jpg.webp" width="136" /></a></div><br /><p>In this heartwarming novel, an unlikely friendship is forged when Ro and Benji become science partners in school. They unite to seek his missing comic-book-writing Dad and to finish the rocket her Dad was building when he died. Together, they deal with grief and tackle some of the deepest questions of the cosmos. Find <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53175353-clues-to-the-universe" target="_blank">Clues to the Universe</a> by Christina Li at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Clues-Universe-Christina-Li/dp/0063008882" target="_blank">amazon</a>!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oGxpBDAvyYsJWxrthJ-E1miY_S95f69NojAiSN92a_TK-nDWbTXcukZn3dGjV3fzPWNGgMn6vHwPCXEt8WHjdRXMB9eHBIZfxNY1LksL-c2nWc9Ia0oVbZ8vLd8IHErWsh9_dPKMOiV0/s499/51mNjV2lg5L._SX338_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="340" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oGxpBDAvyYsJWxrthJ-E1miY_S95f69NojAiSN92a_TK-nDWbTXcukZn3dGjV3fzPWNGgMn6vHwPCXEt8WHjdRXMB9eHBIZfxNY1LksL-c2nWc9Ia0oVbZ8vLd8IHErWsh9_dPKMOiV0/w136-h200/51mNjV2lg5L._SX338_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><br /><p>Barclay the mushroom apprentice accidentally bonds with a magical beast, setting off a rollicking adventure sure to keep readers turning pages. Buy <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49087613-the-accidental-apprentice" target="_blank">Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice</a> by Amanda Foody <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Apprentice-1-Wilderlore/dp/153447756X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QZJDM64NDHOC&dchild=1&keywords=the+accidental+apprentice&qid=1627007326&s=books&sprefix=the+accident%2Cstripbooks%2C206&sr=1-1" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Happy Reading!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>R. H. Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14929737631773597942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-36171437944908641692021-07-05T23:30:00.001-07:002021-07-05T23:30:00.209-07:00An Interview with Author Alyson Gerber<p>I'm a HUGE Alyson Gerber fan, so I knew that when TAKING UP SPACE was recently released, I definitely wanted to talk to her about this stunning novel that is going to speak to so many kids!</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5wMZgdjCNaOnvV85uJFFPBZrLHSbgfB31zU4jKf6NwJnDJUUOr6JD1if8x3aWjsmPMgd7HrAXaVuIAQjCIfzefpT5AIe3lI8rzTSTNEcfWOO49w7yKpXsTEWgO5ThG0rvZR71PAtCPDa/s1200/takingup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5wMZgdjCNaOnvV85uJFFPBZrLHSbgfB31zU4jKf6NwJnDJUUOr6JD1if8x3aWjsmPMgd7HrAXaVuIAQjCIfzefpT5AIe3lI8rzTSTNEcfWOO49w7yKpXsTEWgO5ThG0rvZR71PAtCPDa/w265-h400/takingup.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">About the Book:</h3><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Sarah loves basketball more than anything. Crushing it on the court makes her feel like she matters. And it's the only thing that helps her ignore how much it hurts when her mom forgets to feed her.</i></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />But lately Sarah can't even play basketball right. She's slower now and missing shots she should be able to make. Her body doesn't feel like it's her own anymore. She's worried that changing herself back to how she used to be is the only way she can take control over what's happening.<br /><br />When Sarah's crush asks her to be partners in a cooking competition, she feels pulled in a million directions. She'll have to dig deep to stand up for what she needs at home, be honest with her best friends, and accept that she doesn't need to change to feel good about herself.</i></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Interview:</h3><div><br /></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><b>Hi Aly!<br /><br />Thanks so much for answering some questions!<br /></b><br />Thank you so much for having me! <br /><br /><div><b>Q1: You're so open in your books about issues you've had in your life. Do you find it cathartic or is it still uncomfortable at times?</b><br /><br />It’s definitely uncomfortable to confront what I’ve been through in my writing, but I’ve found that digging into my experience and facing my feelings is the only way I know how to heal and move forward. In the process of publishing BRACED, FOCUSED, and TAKING UP SPACE, I've also had the chance to help a lot of kids and adults, and I'm really grateful for that opportunity. It's changed me for the better.<div><br /><b>Q2:</b> <b>One of the things I love so much about this book is that it deals with the onset of puberty head on and how hard that can be for girls, not just psychologically, but physically, and yet we so rarely see it discussed in books. Can you talk about your conscious decision to talk about the feeling young girls have that their body is somehow betraying them specifically, and not solely related to disordered eating?</b><br /><br />Absolutely. I wanted TAKING UP SPACE to address puberty in an honest way. Puberty is the first time kids experience their body changing. The way they look and feel and appear to other people is new and completely out of their control. It's confusing and weird and also really lonely, because this monumental thing is happening (or not happening), and yet no one is talking about it. Everyone is just pretending that things are the same, when everything is different. I really hope TAKING UP SPACE helps readers to feel less alone in this experience.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Q3: Sarah and her mother have a very strained relationship, one that in many ways isn’t helped at all by her father. There is so much shame ricocheting in that house, in addition to love. Was it difficult to find the balance between these characters?<br /></b><br /></div><div>When I started writing TAKING UP SPACE, I knew that to some readers Sarah's family would feel unfamiliar. This type of dynamic where the culture of dieting has trickled down through generations is actually very common, but it's rarely shown or discussed, because there is so much shame. I stayed focused on making sure that Sarah's parents felt like real people. I wanted readers to feel how much Sarah's parents love her, even as they struggle to provide her with a sense of security and enough food. The balance was definitely tricky, but I'm really proud of how these characters turned out in the story. And I'm so excited by the reviews from readers who can relate to what Sarah is going through and also encouraged by the incredible response from readers who have never been inside this type of dynamic.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Q4: Sarah’s best friend, Ryan, is steadfast, but she doesn’t sugarcoat things for Sarah, which makes me really love her! How important is it to you to accurately portray young girls’ friendships?</b></div><div><br /><div><div dir="auto">I feel very obligated to show my readers honest versions of what friendship really looks like, not what I wish it looked like. The truth is that friendships are special and also complicated. There isn’t a right or wrong way to be a friend. There is only what's right and wrong for you. This is particularly hard when you're young, because most people are trying to figure out who they are and what they need. And just when they have some sense of that, everything about their body and brain changes, so what they need from friends changes too. </div></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><b>Q5: The most moving part of the book, and most important in my opinion, is when Sarah tells her truth and asks for help. So many kids are afraid to do this and the way it goes down is SO well done. How hard was that to write?</b></div><div><br /><div><div dir="auto">Thank you. That means a lot to me. Writing the build up to that moment when Sarah is finally able to see what's really happening and ask for help was the hardest part of writing this book. It had to ring true and feel earned. And it didn't work, until it did.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div dir="auto" style="line-break: after-white-space; word-wrap: break-word;"></div></blockquote></div><b>Q6: Finally, for all the Alyson Gerber fans out there, what’s next?</b><br /><br />I love this question so much! And I hate to be mysterious, but I can't say what's coming next just yet. I promise it will be worth the wait. It's going to be amazing!</div></div></div></div><div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><div class="gmail_quote"></div></div></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div><div><br /></div><div>And how do you like this adorable picture of Alyson on her first day of middle school? SO cute!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAa2krrqjrQ92GueLU6qw5aprmU15wy3OVwfvKr7ATBq6mIRRlLB3BsdggAZgoSrdalICqt_yD20WNCXEgn-O9HM9z5x3rn_ohh_rOnQ9kds7XrHp_S0_LLu2aggdzg9mSAJ0b8Z3zPyN/s2048/alypic.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="2048" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAa2krrqjrQ92GueLU6qw5aprmU15wy3OVwfvKr7ATBq6mIRRlLB3BsdggAZgoSrdalICqt_yD20WNCXEgn-O9HM9z5x3rn_ohh_rOnQ9kds7XrHp_S0_LLu2aggdzg9mSAJ0b8Z3zPyN/w400-h326/alypic.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Want to know about Alyson and find out more about her other amazing novels? </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Visit her <a href="http://alysongerber.com" target="_blank">website!</a></h3><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoo4oDw0pdyRlmDMPMb7nKsJ4kQmoHjfi0CZimSM4F7-H3ht84xYmANepbnL5bpUl79ux1MD51oza4gEs8XmUQ76_VQ7kiRS0EAU8-LuBfqSZeqlc_AXTjBrsJCs4NLBB3ICV3nHIXGFUf/s200/adultaly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoo4oDw0pdyRlmDMPMb7nKsJ4kQmoHjfi0CZimSM4F7-H3ht84xYmANepbnL5bpUl79ux1MD51oza4gEs8XmUQ76_VQ7kiRS0EAU8-LuBfqSZeqlc_AXTjBrsJCs4NLBB3ICV3nHIXGFUf/w304-h400/adultaly.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>WendyMcLeodMacKnighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04830981147524921562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-10673732996925920482021-06-28T05:00:00.002-07:002021-06-28T05:00:00.229-07:00Review Lola Benko Treasure Hunter by Beth McMullen<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqd8pG_R83ztvB_KrR8EDxzFw4e5RZG3K9r5pFPcpx2IscTMshtvvmja3TZ_ooQhdPIaqUtW9hq1F6pB3B2wZKB6T5nuCaQOvIQukZi0cfPo67y4AWoyJe2huEJe2H2kFIexP-9l9LIw/s400/lola-benko-treasure-hunter-9781534456693_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqd8pG_R83ztvB_KrR8EDxzFw4e5RZG3K9r5pFPcpx2IscTMshtvvmja3TZ_ooQhdPIaqUtW9hq1F6pB3B2wZKB6T5nuCaQOvIQukZi0cfPo67y4AWoyJe2huEJe2H2kFIexP-9l9LIw/w244-h368/lola-benko-treasure-hunter-9781534456693_lg.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Lola Benko travels the world with her archeologist dad. She's used to hopping around the globe with no place to call home. But when her dad mysteriously sends her to live with her great-aunt Irma and is thought to have died trying to recover his next artifact, Lola swears he's still alive. She will stop at nothing to find her father even if it means getting caught stealing expensive art from a rich mansion. But if she's to uncover the truth she'll have to trust kids her own age and she's used to doing things on her own.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lola is a fantastic character, she's into STEM and likes to invent things and dives in head first often without a plan which makes her lovable even in her mistakes. Unfortunately Lola Benko didn't have the world travels and Indiana Jones style treasure hunts I expected but it did have a lot of heart and some fun and sometimes unexpected middle of the night adventures that often went sideways before the characters were able to get themselves out of the mess created. Lola's friends Hannah and Jin are believable and help level and challenge Lola as a character. And the ending had a nice wrap up while also opening the door for the sequel.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I recommend to all middle grade readers looking for a little adventure with a side of mischief and fun that doesn't always go according to plan.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ARC generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.<br /></p>Jamie Krakoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16808802721340647047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-5968931213700746882021-06-18T06:00:00.001-07:002021-06-18T06:00:00.292-07:00Jacking Up the Excitement in your Middle Grade Novel<p>I'm writing from Puerto Vallarta today. Taking out a little time to blog during my family vacation. Don't worry, I won't bore you with candid shots of my kids learning to surf or grisly descriptions of what happens when you jump off a board onto spiny sea urchins. It's not pretty. We'll leave it at that.</p><p>Instead, let's take a bite out of jackfruit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ukb8JTvbsVby2ymakTZs8TWZPMlIMvgzLD3BBv-hu3EIYsu2Egm1cJ1Z5XG3uHg9BX6Pw_Hwx4q3T7dU0ChInyL2jmvHYxlXRp3f7nUTr4KPg7P4llUo74azQ5BUpSoKkWMnwlDLZG1A/s480/fruit-1673897__480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ukb8JTvbsVby2ymakTZs8TWZPMlIMvgzLD3BBv-hu3EIYsu2Egm1cJ1Z5XG3uHg9BX6Pw_Hwx4q3T7dU0ChInyL2jmvHYxlXRp3f7nUTr4KPg7P4llUo74azQ5BUpSoKkWMnwlDLZG1A/s320/fruit-1673897__480.jpg" /></a></div><p>What does jackfruit have to do with writing riveting novels? Well, let me explain. </p><p>Jackfruit is a huge warty green fruit. It's kind of melon looking, if your melons were aliens or perhaps were exposed to some sort of virus. It's not melon-y at all inside. I've never seen one before yesterday. Honestly, I was super excited to try it. I'm a bit of a foodie and I love adventure, so why not try eating something that looks like a science experiment gone wrong? The guides loved it. What did I have to lose?</p><p>A few bucks, apparently. But I gained oh, so much in experience, right?</p><p>Not only does the jackfruit look strange but the rubbery pit-filled flesh (promised to be a tantalizing blend of banana, cantaloupe, and pineapple) turned out to be........bland. I could only manage a bite. </p><p>Back at the hotel, I tried blending it into a smoothie. I was greeted with a less-than-enthusiastic shrug from the family and something that sounded a little like "Mmph." <i>Mmmmm</i> was more what I was hoping for.</p><p>This brings me back to the point of this post - jacking up the excitement.</p><p>Anything you write needs to have a unique, intriguing presentation. No doubt the jackfruit did. I haven't seen that many warts since Halloween. And the chartreuse hue definitely grabbed my attention. </p><p>But as with the fruit, presentation isn't enough. Even if some locals (family and friends) love your novel, you probably want to extend your appeal a little farther than that. And let's face it, no one really wants something bland. </p><p>So here's some tips for writing a compelling novel that lives up to its hype.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Craft a Tight Plot</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4i7NT92hOn2Za7zy3nOXnF43vMtAc_1mZnCCd52DTSGonjqXntiNujUGa9v2a9Dkr7GE3guYXuzlYR6PrYcYdODAs-rgIjz4rIwdHTTfz5tQkWSZAG4LusL9MnYPL8jc-8x-O6AMw453/s604/book-794978__340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4i7NT92hOn2Za7zy3nOXnF43vMtAc_1mZnCCd52DTSGonjqXntiNujUGa9v2a9Dkr7GE3guYXuzlYR6PrYcYdODAs-rgIjz4rIwdHTTfz5tQkWSZAG4LusL9MnYPL8jc-8x-O6AMw453/s320/book-794978__340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Include the basic elements of plot in your story. Free write all you want to get the juices going. But it's useful to have some idea of where you are in terms of plot. Some writers do this through structured planning such as outlining. Others prefer to "pants it," writing by the seat of the their pants, or on the fly, with little or no planning at all. Whatever your process, be sure to include these vital elements of plot.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Exposition - this is the basic setup, where you develop enough character and world building to grab the readers attention and introduce them to the world of your novel. This is the period prior to the inciting incident.</li><li>Inciting incident - this is the event that sets the novel in motion, the life-changing thing that happens that propels your character on their journey. </li><li>Rising Action - this is when your main character attempts to solve problems and overcome obstacles. This is where twists and turns should happen.</li><li>Climax/Turning Point - This is the darkest moment, often referred to as the all-is-lost moment. Your character must confront the dragon and face their own weaknesses at the same time. This is when the most intense character transformation occurs.</li><li>Resolution - The problem resolves and the character and their world return to normal, but it is a new normal, incorporating changes to the main character and their world. This often includes personal growth and new understanding of life and the world around them.</li></ol></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Create Relatable Characters</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeB8VACuisb6kDuyxqhvbQwpzL5C3p67B4s0MdxWBY7rFGuZlL7nvfiCVf0H8IiSGUaoocI4AFUOLaXA2y7SHkuoQ_G69CPocXpgiBvyRjRGN0bnCSFzFt0Vmpzu85WLmK4TR6nYk2mr4/s510/blonde-1868815__340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeB8VACuisb6kDuyxqhvbQwpzL5C3p67B4s0MdxWBY7rFGuZlL7nvfiCVf0H8IiSGUaoocI4AFUOLaXA2y7SHkuoQ_G69CPocXpgiBvyRjRGN0bnCSFzFt0Vmpzu85WLmK4TR6nYk2mr4/s320/blonde-1868815__340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In order to be relatable each main character needs backstory, hobbies, interests, even conflicting opinions. I'm not talking about conflict <i>between</i> characters here, but conflict within a single character, much like we experience ourselves. </div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, conflict between characters is vital as well, even between allies. No one gets along perfectly all the time, not even the best of friends. Check your novel to make sure there's enough conflict and tension or your readers will find the relationships unrealistic and, dare I say it, <i>bland.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Characters also need to have weaknesses. There's nothing more relatable than weakness and vulnerability, because we all experiences that, too.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Layer in Imagery and Metaphor</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcPczSybXAcv363p8tx995hFgYdFsU8pfOdBMeZ3b9XwlGO5OFGNr8L43TSmdw8aarn_WJIguRtq0IZfljQFfEUZ-Xa7mUOBnOAhoTIm3aMM91f5IILzQjH_QWDFceT0d0q651R93cIPM/s559/woman-1807533__340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="559" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcPczSybXAcv363p8tx995hFgYdFsU8pfOdBMeZ3b9XwlGO5OFGNr8L43TSmdw8aarn_WJIguRtq0IZfljQFfEUZ-Xa7mUOBnOAhoTIm3aMM91f5IILzQjH_QWDFceT0d0q651R93cIPM/s320/woman-1807533__340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Once you finish your first draft, take a blazing fast read through of your novel. Look for imagery and themes you have included, whether on purpose or by accident. Then intensify these themes. Look for opportunities to add meaning through imagery and metaphor. This will add interest and depth to your novel.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Edit Out Fluff</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FGytwUDvpHAAYzB4U6h1-uzWbXvhGU5itgMmwNfwJfemaECGsMRApdAUMHDO_hhaEe0Kl0-5I51w4n7aTHmzt0Tn2IS8-tg-_fxU0FHa7hWdMEOCdbeCxJ6gFcQTzQ6kzaIUr4N2iwMJ/s720/person-1245959__480-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FGytwUDvpHAAYzB4U6h1-uzWbXvhGU5itgMmwNfwJfemaECGsMRApdAUMHDO_hhaEe0Kl0-5I51w4n7aTHmzt0Tn2IS8-tg-_fxU0FHa7hWdMEOCdbeCxJ6gFcQTzQ6kzaIUr4N2iwMJ/s320/person-1245959__480-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>It's tempting to include flowery adverbs or adjectives. But these actually detract from compelling writing. So does too much information. Consider the following sentences:</div><div><br /></div><div>Jack clumsily walked too close to a really huge rocky ledge then fell off, screaming and hollering all the way down.</div><div><br /></div><div>OR</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Jack stumbled off a cliff.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>Which one makes your heart jump? Which one makes you want to turn the page to find out what happened next?</div><p><b>DISCLAIMER:</b> This post is not anti-Jack or anti-jackfruit. The author acknowledges that while jackfruit may not be to her taste, there are likely people around the world who find it delicious, and quite possibly even riveting. Just like with books....taste varies :)</p><p>Happy Reading and Happy Writing!</p><p><br /></p>R. H. Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14929737631773597942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5192911483681988682.post-11297042658367964392021-05-14T06:00:00.001-07:002021-05-14T06:00:00.290-07:0012 Great Resources for Writing (and Selling!) Middle Grade Fiction<div style="text-align: left;">Today's post features a blogroll of fabulous resources for middle grade writers. I've included a few notes, but be sure to click on those you links you want to dig into a little deeper!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHDlbTHA2OmEiHcSRaFmlVaZwaxlZ4Gm2uHXYcqimi-3GyGahEHEd2ZdfxMU46OVN-CMLd8ugESklMh0wC9_ITtNB0DY3lZEKEqwjAlxCIbEidHciOVJFSQmsAiip6XtMO2Oe2LD0B1fY/s725/read-316508__480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="725" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHDlbTHA2OmEiHcSRaFmlVaZwaxlZ4Gm2uHXYcqimi-3GyGahEHEd2ZdfxMU46OVN-CMLd8ugESklMh0wC9_ITtNB0DY3lZEKEqwjAlxCIbEidHciOVJFSQmsAiip6XtMO2Oe2LD0B1fY/s320/read-316508__480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Basics of Middle Grade</h2><div><a href="https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/middle-grade-novel-structure-101-stuck-in-the-middle-grade-with-you" target="_blank">Middle Grade Novel Structure</a> - Identifying the middle grade target audience and more!</div><div><a href="https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/7-tips-for-developing-a-compelling-middle-grade-fiction-premise" target="_blank">Developing a compelling Middle Grade Fiction Premise</a> - Remember what it was like to be 12 :)</div><div><a href="https://lernerbooks.blog/2018/04/3-key-components-middle-grade-novels.html" target="_blank">3 Key Components of Middle Grade Novels</a> - Characters on a mission, facing challenges, and <i>growing!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mMj58hxNqbENNUAyLv-R_O7FgqAAJ5DPgiJ38OVLsUm0tGhzaCKIoOThx2JHqzSt6QSGvFJfjIQ20KluTLRqi36liy7eITj18khu4hKhvkI8QDlSHLj-CBW0-M-Oj6vU4l77xtBvUEAN/s480/moon-1275126__340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mMj58hxNqbENNUAyLv-R_O7FgqAAJ5DPgiJ38OVLsUm0tGhzaCKIoOThx2JHqzSt6QSGvFJfjIQ20KluTLRqi36liy7eITj18khu4hKhvkI8QDlSHLj-CBW0-M-Oj6vU4l77xtBvUEAN/s320/moon-1275126__340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Middle Grade Character Development</h2><div><a href="https://writingmiddlegrade.com/protagonist-characteristics/" target="_blank">21 Characteristics of a Perfect Middle Grade Protagonist</a> - Evokes sympathy, has a strong motivation, is complex....the list goes on!</div><div><a href="https://writerunboxed.com/2016/09/21/writing-your-middle-grade-character-aka-the-center-of-her-universe/" target="_blank">Writing Your Middle Grade Character</a></div><div><a href=" https://bobandjackswritingblog.com/guest-voices/danika-dinsmore-tropes-tips-for-middle-grade-fiction-writers/" target="_blank">Tropes & Tips for Middle Grade Fiction Writers</a>: Great resource for ideas and for avoiding cliches.</div><div><a href="http://bookriders.weebly.com/articleschecklists-mg-writers/the-mg-voice-harder-than-it-seems" target="_blank">The MG Voice</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlL36b_p7QUjJHcq51VkuhJF0jXe7u9MZZ46JUhmkx9LF1cnUVHHw_hxXc5fKwbUga1IDse9KOWjkzujYkMxhq3_V4XPVav0X6ebRiUdA6cXGbjlLkJnbhdd5jFrh7m8G2fJWwL3fTP1X/s852/for-reading-813666__480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="852" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlL36b_p7QUjJHcq51VkuhJF0jXe7u9MZZ46JUhmkx9LF1cnUVHHw_hxXc5fKwbUga1IDse9KOWjkzujYkMxhq3_V4XPVav0X6ebRiUdA6cXGbjlLkJnbhdd5jFrh7m8G2fJWwL3fTP1X/s320/for-reading-813666__480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Marketing Middle Grade Books</h2><div><a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/81176-author-tested-middle-grade-marketing-tips.html" target="_blank">Author-Tested Middle Grade Marketing Tips</a></div><div><a href="https://medium.com/ninja-writers/how-to-market-your-kidlit-book-to-acutal-kids-and-their-gatekeepers-a3e88c5a182a" target="_blank">How to Market Your Kidlit Book to Actual Kids and Their Gatekeepers</a></div><div><a href="https://jerichowriters.com/how-to-learn-the-market-for-middle-grade-mg-fiction/" target="_blank">How to Learn the Market for Middle Grade Fiction</a> - Read relevant middle grade literature, engage in complexity, make room for diversity, and remember what kids are reading for.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjif6aUIFQ1daGH5tKI76y9LsWIiy3V4vKTGBac10V4Ej57nUYrABNJlYmC_CsOMWxENOUTAE45_aNIYRo6MyGOwVM9jXMK2xq9vYIZJtIEwnBk-6DW-uvVTk7C7PfEIorQEuanenyfXL-C/s719/person-941311__480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="719" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjif6aUIFQ1daGH5tKI76y9LsWIiy3V4vKTGBac10V4Ej57nUYrABNJlYmC_CsOMWxENOUTAE45_aNIYRo6MyGOwVM9jXMK2xq9vYIZJtIEwnBk-6DW-uvVTk7C7PfEIorQEuanenyfXL-C/s320/person-941311__480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Darn Good Writing Advice</h2><div><a href="https://kidlit.com/tag/dramatic-arc/" target="_blank">Dramatic Arc Archives from Kidlit</a> - This website is chock-full of information, useful for any writer, but specifically targeting middle grade authors.</div><div><a href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/writing-tips/?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=10273012991&utm_targetid=dsa-1233402314764&gclid=CjwKCAjw1uiEBhBzEiwAO9B_HWUoIGD69o9g0FwGVoZxqzyxmNBexlTr0XbJpcLQ-VRFSY1qjEz2ghoCL2oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">30 Tips to Make Writing Easier</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Writing!</div>R. H. Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14929737631773597942noreply@blogger.com0